Obituary of Stephen Whited

Stephen Lance ("Steve") Whited, 53, of Glenville, New York peacefully ended his valiant struggle against cancer on July 5th, 2019 at home.

Glenville Funeral Home will be handling the cremation and memorial service arrangements. A secular memorial service will be held at Glenville Funeral Home, located at 9 Glenridge Road, Glenville, New York at noon on Saturday, July 20th, 2019, and a non-viewing visitation will begin at the funeral home at 10:00 a.m.. Per Steve's wishes, a barbeque party at his home will be announced for a later date.

Steve was born in London, England at the U.S.A.F. base in Ruislip to John W. Whited and Dorothy Faye Nowell Whited on November 4th, 1965. He went to high school at Tate High School in Pensacola, Florida and graduated in 1983. He went to work right out of school and after working at various jobs in the construction business settled into remediation and restoration, which he did for the remainder of his life, earning a plethora of professional certifications and qualifications. He helped thousands of people restore their homes, businesses, and schools after catastrophic events such as floods, hurricanes, and fires. Steve loved being the "go-to guy" for people who needed help getting their lives back on track and worked tirelessly to that end. He even did this work from his chemotherapy treatment rooms, it was so important to him. He treated his clients and colleagues like family because they were meaningful to him, and he strived for excellence in those relationships.

Steve considered himself a foodie, and he loved to grill and share with loved ones on his deck. He grew up traveling as a "Navy brat" and continued as a restoration specialist, taking every opportunity to try the foods and get to know the people of other cultures. He and his youngest daughter Kaitlyn moved to New York from Alabama about 12 years ago on a great adventure to be closer to family and to change their lives together. He considered the trip he made to Europe, showing his oldest daughter Stephanie London, Paris, and Rome, in the final year of his life one of his greatest honors. He enjoyed golfing but probably would have said he didn't get to do it enough because he worked so much. He loved muscle cars, especially working with his youngest daughter on his beloved Corvette restoration project; and riding his motorcycle, which he considered the pinnacle of quality alone-time. He enjoyed boating and sharing boating with his loved ones. He grew up loving the beach but he always said it was the mountains that called to him. He never stopped learning new things and was enjoying learning to build computers with his sister.

Steve is survived by his daughters, Stephanie Whited of Glenville, New York and Kaitlyn Swint of Albany, New York; Stephanie's partner Harold Lambert, and Kaitlyn's husband Franklin Swint; his grandchildren Paris Karter Whited-Lambert of Glenville, New York, and BreOhna ShyAnn and Tucker Braxton of Brewton, Alabama; his father John W. Whited and sister Suzanne Whited of Cohoes, New York; his nephew Mykle Shelby and his wife Marlena of Kalispell, Montana; and Kaitlyn's mother, Krista Stewart. He is preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy Faye Nowell Whited; and his first wife and Stephanie's mother, Lillian Maxine Gutermuth Whited.

The family wishes to extend their heart felt gratitude to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, New York, and particularly to Dr. Bob T. Li, MD, MPH, and his assistant Lizzi, as well as Steve's nurses Ashley Godden, Jessica Rivera Diaz, and Sylvia Rivera who were not only professional but always left Steve feeling positive and hopeful during his treatments. Their caring, attention to detail, quick response times, and compassion went above and beyond anything else we saw in Steve's cancer journey. They helped make Steve's journey as positive and hopeful as it could possibly be, and we believe unequivocally that they extended his life and gave us another quality year with him. And to the American Cancer Society, without whose support we could not have availed ourselves of the wonderful care at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

Memorial donations in lieu of flowers may be made to The American Cancer Society, P.O Box 22478 Oklahoma City, OK 73123, or online at https://donate3.cancer.org  and/or to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on their donation website at https://giving.mskcc.org/