Philip Ray Whitney

Philip Ray Whitney, 73, went into the presence of his beloved Lord and Savior on February 17th, 2025. He was born on January 18, 1952, to Merle Clarence Whitney Jr. and Catherine Cardwell Whitney.

Philip graduated from Parkland High School in 1970. He received the Morehead Scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1974. After graduation, Philip enjoyed a successful career with IBM.

In 1994 Philip was “born again” while attending Canaan United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem, becoming a new creation through the Spirit of God. Before death, he reached a degree of sanctification he never thought possible, and peace filled his heart. The true love of Philip’s life was his church, where he enjoyed teaching Sunday School and leading Bible studies for many years. After retirement, Philip joined Friedburg Moravian Church where he found a new loving and welcoming church family. Philip faithfully served God and referred to his new church as, ‘God's people’.

Philip was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his sister, Lynne Whitney Pruette (Sonny) of Cary, NC and brothers Merle C (Sonny) Whitney III, and Gordon K Whitney, both of Winston-Salem.

There will be a graveside service on March 23rd at 2 o’clock at Friedburg Moravian Church, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In lieu of flowers, Philip requested that donations be sent to, The Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research in memory of his dear friend, Keith Edward Freitag. www.https://lustgarten.org