John R. Whiteaker Sr., age 75 of Pensacola, Florida, passed away on February 10, 2026. John was born in Johnson City, Tennessee to Robert and Helen Whiteaker on April 5, 1950. He has been in the Pensacola area for 50 years. During his time in Pensacola, he worked for the Escambia County School District. John was a proud veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and lived by the expression “Once a Marine, Always a Marine.”  He was a member of Marcus Pointe Baptist Church and previously attended Myrtle Grove United Methodist Church.

John was preceded in death by his mother, Helen “Dolores” Whiteaker; granddaughter, Brittney Graydon; and his grandfather, J.C. “PawPaw” Phillips.

He is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Kay E. Whiteaker; children, Jennifer Mosley (Greg), Robert Boone (Teresa), Jamie Graydon (Ross), Karen Radford (Tony), and John R. Whiteaker Jr.; grandchildren, Jared Jarman, Austin Boone and Kayla Radford; and great-grandson, Emerson James Hadley.

A visitation will be held at Family-Funeral & Cremation on Thursday, February 19, 2026, from 2:00PM-3:00PM, with military honors and a memorial service immediately following beginning at 3:00PM.

John will be interred at Barrancas National Cemetery at a later date.