Carrol Whisnant

Carrol James Whisnant, Jr. of Manhattan, Kansas, died on October 2, 2024, at the age of 93. The youngest child and only son of Alda Sarah (Conrow) and Carrol James Whisnant, Sr. Jim or “Whiz,” as his friends called him and Junior as he was known by his family, was born in Manhattan, Kansas on March 9, 1931.

Jim attended Kansas State University for two years. As a freshman, he majored in electrical engineering, but his father, a high school principal, made him change his major to education. When the Korean War began, Jim enlisted in the United States Navy serving on the USS Helena CA-75 Heavy Cruiser from 1954–1956. He was assigned to the OE Division and was an electronics technician (ET1).(https://www.usshelena.org/whisnantindex.html).

When his tour of duty ended, Jim moved to the Kansas City area where he lived from 1957 to 2020. He lived in Pleasant Valley, Missouri for over 50 years. In 2020, Jim and Marge moved to Manhattan, Kansas to be near their daughter and her family.

Jim and Margie Steinke were setup on a date by a friend of Margie’s who worked at a cleaners and noticed there wasn’t lipstick on his shirt collar and thought he might be a match for Margie. An optimistic man, Jim invited Margie to the fall 1959 Sunflower Showdown between Kansas State University (K-State) and the University of Kansas (KU). This rivalry has been going on since 1902. Margie went to KU and Jim was a lifelong K-State fan. For some reason Jim thought this game was a great idea for a first date in Lawrence. For those of you that want to know, KU won the game 33-14. Rita always says that her Mom felt bad about K-State losing so she went on another date with her Dad and fell in love. Margie and Jim were married in Colby, Kansas, on June 25, 1960. And for 64 years the love that blossomed on that first date held them together.

Jim began working for IBM in 1957 at the cusp of the inventions in computing that would change the world. His work was installing and repairing cutting-edge technologies for customers. It was an exciting time, with IBM dominating the computing industry. Jim enjoyed his career and retired in 1987 after 30 years. His last role with IBM was as a senior customer service engineer. It is fitting that he had a title of engineer after wanting to be an engineer while attending K-State.

After retirement, he enjoyed watching the Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Kansas State Wildcats. He loved football, basketball, and baseball. He was very active playing softball and traveled to many tournaments including the Senior Olympics. He also enjoyed joining the Heartland Honor Flight to Washington, DC, a special trip he made accompanied by his daughter, Rita.

Jim will be remembered for his humor, his friendships, his love and devotion to his family, and of course his love of sports. Above all, Jim will be remembered for his loyal patience, kindness, and devotion to his beloved wife, Marge, remaining by her side and walking with her as she has lived with Alzheimer’s disease. He made his vows in 1960 to love, honor, and respect his wife through good times and challenging times. Jim remains an example of consistency and loyalty in marriage to all who know him.

Jim is survived by his wife Margaret (Margie or Marge) Eve Steinke Whisnant, children: Rita Whisnant Cassida (John), Rodney Thomas Whisnant (Amerin), Carrol James Whisnant, III (Kristen), grandchildren: Calvin James Cassida, Katherine Elizabeth Cassida Rizza (Alan Zachary), Brock Thachil Whisnant, Eve Kerala Whisnant, Axel Zain Whisnant, Carrol James Whisnant, IV, and Abbey Blair Whisnant, and great grandchild: Theodore Andrew (Theo) Rizza. He is predeceased by his parents: Alda Sarah and Carrol James Whisnant, Sr. and his sister, Geraldine Whisnant Livers, and many Conrow and Steinke cousins. Learn more about the Conrow family https://www.today.com/video/kansas-family-reunites-for-century-old-thanksgiving-tradition-127162949560 and https://www.k-state.edu/media/newsreleases/sept14/ksufoy92914.html.

Instead of flowers, please donate in Jim’s name to the charity of your choice. Jim was special to many people so there will be a two-day celebration of life. On November 28, Thanksgiving Day, for the Conrow cousins and other friends and family who would like to attend, there will be a service at 11 a.m. at the First Congregational Church, 700 Poyntz Ave, Manhattan, Kansas. Please contact Rita Cassida ritawhisnant@gmail.com by November 1 if you would like to join the Conrow Cousins for a Traditional Thanksgiving dinner at Noon at the church. On November 29, there will be a service at the Resurrection Cemetery, 5001 NE Cookingham Dr, Kansas City, Missouri at 11 a.m.