Samuel Vernon Phillip Whitby

Samuel Vernon Phillip Whitby of Grasonville, MD, died on Wednesday November 23, 2016, at the Compass Regional Hospice Center in Centreville, MD. He was 88. He was born on November 14, 1928, in Easton, MD, the son of the late Samuel Whitby and Lillian Porter. He grew up on Wye Island and attended school there until it closed requiring a move to Queenstown. After graduating from Centreville High School in 1945, he started work as a waterman and worked part-time as a carpenter. He enlisted in the Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Germany and then in California. While in California, he married Betty Jane Stevens on January 29, 1952. After he was honorably discharged, Phil returned to Grasonville and resumed work as a waterman. Phil built a home in Grasonville in the late 50’s where he and Betty raised a family and where they resided for the rest of their lives. After several years as a waterman, Phil felt he needed a bigger and newer boat so he built Ja-Da. He improved upon Ja-Da when he built another larger boat, Scorpio. Never one to sit idle, he decided to try woodworking and carving, as a hobby. He started with replica boats and then branched out into waterfowl projects. He made a variety of waterfowl pieces including ducks, geese, blue herons, and swans. December was often a very busy month, as he worked hard to finish gifts for family and friends in time for Christmas. In addition to woodworking projects, he also became intrigued with magic tricks. He started with a couple of tricks and after becoming proficient, he added several more and would use family gatherings to hone his skills in front of a friendly audience. It wasn’t long before he started performing as “Phil the Great” for local groups, children’s parties, family gatherings, church groups, and retirement communities. After retiring from full -time work as a waterman he gained employment with Queenstown Bank doing facilities maintenance for several locations. He worked in this capacity for several years before retiring about 10 years ago. Phil also enjoyed gardening, singing, and playing the guitar and dobro. His tomato garden grew to include 40 plants which produced scores of baskets for the church, friends, and family. He was a member of the Immanuel United Methodist Church in Grasonville and a devoted family man who loved spending time with his family. He is survived by two children, Jamie Lee Whitby (Lynette Foster) of Queen Anne and Janet Whitby Wright (Gary Robert) of Easton; a daughter in-law, Debbie Thompson Whitby of Queenstown; eight grandchildren, Allyson, Brian, Courtney, Phillip, David, Tyler, Kelly and Karen; and 12 great-grandchildren. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by his son David Whitby (2009) and his wife of 60 years, Betty Jane Whitby (2012). A visitation will be held on Monday November 28, 2016, from 6PM to 8PM at the Fellows Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home in Chester, MD. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday November 29, 2016, at 11AM at the Immanuel United Methodist Church in Grasonville, MD, and interment will follow in Woodlawn Memorial Park in Easton, MD. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to the UMD Memorial Hospital Foundation c/o David Whitby Memorial Fund, 121 Federal Street Easton, MD 21601 or to Immanuel United Methodist Church, PO Box 518, Grasonville, MD 21638.

Samuel Vernon Phillip Whitby

November 14, 1928 - November 23, 2016