Ronald Ray Whiting

Ronald Ray Whiting, 64, of Tonasket, Washington, passed away in a Spokane hospital on October 20th, 2021, after a month-long battle with COVID, which caused other complications due to his asthma and waiting to go to the hospital.

Ron was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 22nd, 1957 and was the oldest of four brothers. He was a wild child who loved playing outdoors with his brothers and riding dirt bikes.

They moved to Las Vegas in 1970 and then Tri Cities, Washington in 1971. Ron would have graduated in 1975 from Kamiakin High School in Kennewick, Washingon, but quit school in 10th grade. He then tried out different jobs, including McDonald’s in Kennewick, Circus Burger in Finley, and was a floor guard at a roller skating rink in Kennewick (he said this was one of his favorites – all the little kids would hold onto his legs as he skated around).

U.S. Army

Ron joined the Army in 1974, where he served for two years in Korea DMZ. He got his GED while in the Army, along with a marksmanship medal.

Ron was married to his second wife, Jeanie, from 1996-2004. She had two daughters from previous relationships (Shana, whom Ron legally adopted in 1995 and Amorette) and in 1997, Ron and Jeanie had a daughter, Kyra. In 1998, the five of them moved from Okanogan, Washington to Tonasket, to a farmhouse deep in the mountains, about 45 minutes from town, where they raised dogs, a cat, chickens, turkeys, ducks, rabbits, sheep, goats, pigs, a cow, horses, and even emus (which Ron rode a couple times!). Ron worked in Moses Lake as a self-taught computer programmer during the week, but would come home every weekend to be with his family. He was a very smart man who loved the outdoors, and decided to start building a log cabin up the hill and when he and Jeanie divorced, he kept that cabin on 20 acres.

About a year after his divorce, Ron gained full custody of Kyra, and she moved in with him in Moses Lake, in his tiny camp trailer. Four houses and three years later, Ron purchased a mini storage business in Tonasket. During all of these moves, he and his daughter would make trips up to the cabin to work on it and make it livable. In 2007, Ron began dating Charlene, who was his girlfriend for the remainder of his life. Not too long after purchasing the mini storage, Ron and Kyra made their final move, to the cabin, around 2008, where he was able to work his computer job from home and live out his dream in the mountains.

The cabin was Ron’s legacy; he had built everything on the property from the ground up (with help when needed), including a large, two-story barn, a woodshed, tool shed, outhouse, chicken coop, and later, additions to the cabin. He loved being secluded from neighbors up there, and would spend his time hiking, riding his motorcycle (until he broke his back in 2016, falling off of a roof he was working on), shooting guns, and exploring the dirt roads on his beloved Mahindra Roxor.

Ron was a hard-working, dedicated Republican Patriot who was always prepared for anything, shown by his collections of survival/emergency items. He had pride in everything he did and was so generous, always willing to help. He was a man of his word, so caring and trustworthy, a good provider and an amazing father, brother and friend to many.

Ron is predeceased by his mother, Freda (Visser) Whiting; his step-mother, Janice Whiting; his father, Ray Whiting and his brother, Robert Whiting.

Ron is survived by his daughters, Kyra Whiting, Shana (Whiting) Blackstad, step-daughter Amorette Peck, his brothers, Dennis Whiting and Ray Whiting Jr., step-siblings Kristen, Bruce, and Mark, sister in-laws Caroline Whiting and Barb Whiting, his nephews, Danny Whiting, Michael Whiting, Kevin Whiting, and Alex Whiting, nieces, Krissy and Haley, and his four grandchildren, Brodie (14), Bailey (11), Axel (9), and Hazel (7).

A celebration of Ron’s life will be held at the Old Flour Mill in Okanogan on Saturday, November 20th, at 11 a.m.