Joseph R. Whitaker

A Rosary service for Joseph Robert Whitaker, 32 of Cookeville, will be Sunday, September 13 at 6 p.m. in the Cookeville Chapel of Hooper-Huddleston & Horner Funeral Home with Father Chad Puthoff officiating. His family will receive friends from 1 p.m. until service time at the funeral home. Graveside services and interment will be in the Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, NJ. Joseph died suddenly Wednesday afternoon September 9, 2015 at his home. He was born May 15, 1983 in Secaucus, NJ to Robert Joseph and Marylou Albers Whitaker of Cookeville. Joseph attended Felician School for Exceptional Children in Lodi, NJ. He volunteered Recreation of Exceptional Children (REC) and was a Special Olympics competitor. After moving to Cookeville, he was a volunteer for Structured Athletics for Challenged Children (SACC). He was the assistant coach for the SACC soccer team and chaperoned dances. He competed in Tennessee Special Olympics where he won gold and silver medals in golf competition. Joseph was a huge WWE and WWF wrestling fan and actually owned stock in company. He was also a member of the IWF Pro Wrestling (Long Rider Team) of Tennessee. He loved life to the fullest and blessed those he was around. He was compassionate and always trying to make people smile. He was preceded in death by his sister, Johnlynn Marie Whitaker; paternal grandparents, Ruth and Frederick Whitaker; maternal grandparents, John and Mary Albers and Aunt Susan Albers; and uncle, Gerard Clausing. In addition to his parents, he is survived by two brothers and sister-in-law, Robert and Courtney Whitaker of Larchmont, NY and Michael Whitaker of Cookeville; two aunts and uncles, Barbara and Dr. John Whitaker of Cookeville, Marilyn and John Kane of Littleton, CO; great aunt and Godmother, Teresa Clausing of Cookeville; niece, Claire Marie Whitaker; nephews, John Robert Whitaker and Michael Frances Whitaker. Memorial contributions may be made to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave, New York, NY 10065.