Mr. Luther Charles Whatley's Obituary
Luther Charles Whatley, Jr. was born on October 22, 1925 in Fairfield, Alabama. He was the second of four children of Luther Charles and Pauline Bray Whatley.
He was educated in the public schools of Fairfield, graduating from Fairfield Industrial High School. After high school he served in the U.S. Navy. After an honorable discharge from the Navy, he attended Alabama A& M where he received his B.S. Degree in Science.
Charles Jr., as he was fondly called by his mother, taught in the Jefferson County School System for over 30 years. The taught at Westfield H.S., Wenonah H.S., A.G. Gaston Middle School, Berry and Vestavia H.S. By day, he was a science and/or math teacher. And by night, for many of those years, he worked evening shifts as a bell hop at hotels in Bessemer and Birmingham and then as a Pinkerton security guard. But he always dreamed of owning his own business. His last teaching assignment was at Vestavia High School where he had begrudgingly accepted his assignment as the Driver’s Education teacher there. Little did he know that the assignment there had set him up for his second career, his own business, A-1 Whatley Driving School.
Charles started his driving school in Birmingham when he was 55 years old. He later moved to Huntsville and continued the business until he was 85 years young! At 55 He had found what he loved, so he never “worked” another day in his life. He didn’t just teach teenagers, he taught people of all ages. One of his most gratifying experiences was teaching physically handicapped people to drive. He creatively retrofitted their cars or his own to provide whatever adjustment was needed to make driving accessible to those who had been told that they couldn’t. He absolutely loved watching them discover that they were able.
He continued to teach driving long after he retired at 85. Whenever he was riding in a car he was instructing!! “Don’t tail sniff”, “Can you see the bottom of the tires on that car in front of you? If not, you’re too close”, “Check to your left, check to your right and back to your left before you pull off”, "Keep your gas foot in the middle of the road and your car will be in the middle of your lane" and sooo many more.
He peacefully departed this life on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at Creekside Center for Rehabilitation and Healing in Madison, TN. He leaves to cherish his memories his wife, Mrs. Rehana K. Whatley; Daughters, Gale Gould, Iris Whatley, Paula Jackson, Saadia Parker (Andy), a son, Hamzah Whatley (Katy) grandchildren, Gregory Jackson (Veronica), Christopher Gould, Erika Montoya (Omar) and Cameron Whatley, and great-grandchildren, Aliyah Jackson, Justyn Jackson and Trevor Montoya, nieces, Pamela Whatley and Paulette Whatley, nephews, Randal Smith, James Smith and Claude Smith, Jr., Cindy Stair, who was his dear friend and who worked tirelessly to manage the scheduling and office operations of his driving school in Huntsville, and a host of cousins and friends.
Luther's funeral ceremony will be held Friday, November 8, 2019 at 2:00 pm at the Spring Hill Funeral Home at 5110 Gallatin Road.
Arrangements by Spring Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5110 Gallatin Road, Nashville, TN, 37216, a Nashville landmark since 1785 “Where Nashville Comes to Remember”
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