Capt. William ‘Bill’ Fenton Whiting, USMC (ret)        10.17.1940  –  3.22.2023

An incredible source of strength, compassion and love, ‘Poppa’ will remain with us always. He drifted from this mortal form on March 22nd, 2023 embraced by his wife and sons.

It is with profound sorrow and supreme gratitude that we celebrate our principled, brave, caring and incredibly generous Husband, Father, Grandfather and friend, William ‘Bill’ Fenton Whiting and a life well-lived spanning 82 impressive years.

The only child of Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Hartung, a school teacher, and Russell Whiting, a local newspaperman, Bill came of age on the playgrounds and school yards of Richmond, CA, riding bikes and playing ball until dark. Summers were spent fishing and hiking with his grandparents in Gold Country and as a camper and counselor at YMCA camp Ravencliff, where Sunday chapel beneath the forest canopy first awakened his faith.

Lettering in basketball, active in numerous clubs, and elected Harry Ells HS first ever senior class President (class of ‘58), as a teenager he forged friendships which endure to this day. In later years, he helped to plan and organize class reunions, remaining a nexus of connectivity for his classmates for decades.

Excelling academically, Bill matriculated at Stanford University where he found camaraderie in the Sigma Chi fraternity. His penchant for saddle oxford shoes and scholarly fashions earned him the nickname ‘School’ among his brothers, who would hail him by that moniker at Big Game tailgates and alumni gatherings for the next 60 years.

While on the Farm, Bill earned his keep ‘hashing’ – busing tables and serving meals. One memorable evening, while waiting on the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi, Bill chose the auspicious occasion to wear his apron … and little else. Old-timers claim shocked shrieks can still be heard reverberating across campus.

College summers were spent at the Marine Corps officer selection program in Quantico, VA, where Bill finished among the top of his platoon class. Graduating from Stanford in 1962, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, deferring his USMC commitment to attend UC Berkeley Boalt School of Law alongside several of his Sigma Chi brethren.

While at Boalt, Bill played on ‘The Blossom Bees’ & ‘The Boalt Bombers’ – University champion football and softball intramural teams – and with his roommates made avant-garde short films with droll titles like ‘Bludgeon the Moon’. In the summer of ‘64 he married his college sweetheart.

After graduating law school and passing the California State Bar, in 1965 Bill began three years Marine Corps active duty. Returning to Quantico, he finished in the top 3 percent of his Basic School Class of 512 Marine Lieutenants. Naval Justice School followed, then the Marine Recruit Depot in San Diego, where in 1967 his daughter Elizabeth was born. Less than a year later, Bill deployed to Viet Nam for a thirteen-month tour of duty.

Concluding his military service ranked Captain, in 1968 Bill settled back in Richmond. While he was overseas, his wife and daughter moved back East and chose to remain there.  Reassessing his future, Bill opted to stay in his beloved home town and associate with Watson, Hoffe & Fannin where he was mentored by and grew close with Coleman ‘Coley’ Fannin, himself a legal institution.

As 1970 came to a close, Bill traveled to Los Angeles to attend the Rose Bowl. Stanford was making a rare appearance in the game, but the trip’s purpose was twofold: Bill’s Sigma Chi brother had arranged a blind date for him.

Bill’s date, USC senior Penny Burger, was put off by her first impression – the young attorney arrived wearing a three-piece suit, carrying a briefcase – but knew she was in trouble when he swept her across the dance floor and kissed her to ring in 1971. Stanford won the game. Bill won Penny’s heart. They were married in Muir Woods on August 4, 1973.

Hoping to create a family with Penny, Bill knew his modest apartment wouldn’t suffice. While on a jog around his Point Richmond neighborhood, Bill ran past an open house: a simple split-level place with bay views on a quiet one-way street. Within the hour, he returned with a check to purchase his and Penny’s first home.

During their years at the Point, sons Ryan and Macaulay were born and Bill reveled in introducing the boys to his passions: exploring the outdoors, sports of all kinds, corny jokes, classic jazz and bebop, a love of travel and learning.

Seeking a new direction professionally, in 1981 Bill and two fellow associates struck out on their own, founding the firm Whiting, Rubenstein & Swager at Richmond Hilltop. Starting from extremely modest beginnings – the partners had to dig trenches to connect utilities to their first modular offices – on the strength of an unrivaled work ethic, Bill became widely recognized as one of the top family law attorneys in the Bay Area, and built a formidable law practice that still thrives (now Whiting, Ross, Abel & Campbell and housed in more suitable Walnut Creek confines).

In the mid-80’s, Bill and Penny moved the family to Moraga, where they built a house that was to become their home for the next 34 years. Despite his Walnut Creek business and Moraga residence, Bill continued to honor his Richmond roots, volunteering to work and fundraise for the “Y” and sending his sons to the same camp so formative to his own experience.

While his love affair with the law never waned, Bill enjoyed myriad pursuits. A creature of habit, Bill derived great pleasure from ‘high-stakes’ poker games on Friday nights, doubles tennis on Saturday. Sundays were reserved for services at LOPC Church, where he found comfort in the sermons of Minister Whitlock and was baptized as an adult.

Fervent in his wanderlust, Bill took his family on spectacular trips to Canada, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Europe, New Zealand, Central and South America. He also gave his eldest grandson Liam the gift of travel, organizing adventures for them to share along the California Coast, to New York, France and Cuba.

Tireless in his support of his sons’ pursuits, he never missed one of their athletic contests. Family game nights were highly-competitive affairs. A crossword or logic puzzle rarely went unsolved. Cards and letters were regularly penned to a host of friends cultivated across 8 decades. A stack of books was perpetually at his bedside. The Marines’ Hymn was learned on the piano. His grandsons were visited often. And he was forever greening his home’s yard and gardens, planting a new tree down by the creek, sweetpeas in the tradition of his parents, or daffodils to welcome the spring.

Diagnosed with aggressive lymphoma in 2021 – the result of toxic chemical exposure in Viet Nam – Bill remained resolute in his belief that he would overcome it.

Never one to complain or desire attention, he chose to keep his condition private, quietly enduring painful treatments and prolonged hospital stays. Guided by his faith and buoyed by Penny’s strength, he fought the disease valiantly for two years – even when it reappeared with a vengeance in January, 2023.

Still sharp, active and with a growing list of goals and dreams he was determined to realize with the people he loved, Bill opted for cutting edge ‘CAR-T’ therapy, a high-stakes treatment.

Checking into Stanford Hospital, he brought his laptop, case files and printer with him, and continued working for his clients right up until the end.

The intensely-strenuous process, however, proved too much, even for him. His family will remain forever grateful to the dedicated ICU nurses and doctors who exhausted every effort in their attempts to prolong his life.

He passed peacefully, his wife and sons holding his hands, his favorite jazz album softly serenading...

Captain William ‘Bill’ Whiting is survived by his wife Penny, his children Ryan (Rekha), Macaulay (Christie) and Elizabeth (Dave), grandsons Cole, Everett, Liam and JD, and many in-laws.

Bill was a generous, earnest, honorable, loving man. He was loyal to his family, his friends, his community, his country, his profession and his clients.

In all endeavors, he embodied the Marine Corps motto: Semper Fidelis – Always Faithful.

A Celebration of Bill’s Life will be held April 22nd from 12-3pm at St. Mary’s College, Soda Activity Center – 1928 St. Mary’s Road, Moraga CA

In lieu of flowers – please make a donation to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) or to YMCA’s Camp Ravencliff & the William F. Whiting Camper Scholarship Fund (www.friendsofravencliff.com)

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