Drake Whitlock

Drake Whitlock, 3 December 1947 to 15 October 2022. All who knew him were drawn to his warmth and kindness.

The son of John Lawson and Phyllis (née Parmelee) Whitlock, Drake grew up an air force brat, learning to navigate, every three years, new cultures in places as exotic as Nagoya and Paris and as humdrum as the New Jersey suburbs of New York City and the Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi. Those early experiences taught him to make friends easily and always to look for the best in people.

An English major at Randolph Macon University, Drake dabbled in several business enterprises before rediscovering his childhood love of flyfishing, first as a partner at Hunter Banks Company in Asheville, NC, and later on his own as founder and chief guide-wrangler at Altamont Anglers.

While at Randolph Macon, Drake turned his high school years as first chair trumpet and jazz lover into weekend gigs with a blue-eyed soul band traveling by Greyhound bus to fraternity parties and weddings throughout Virginia. He maintained an impressive jazz collection and gallery of trumpets throughout his life.

Above all else, Drake was known for his fierce love and passion for his family.  Ever loving, loyal, protecting, and providing.  He will be deeply missed but always loved.

Drake is survived by his siblings Dean and Sally (née Duston) Whitlock, his uncle Dean Parmelee, his wife Carol (née Bilo) Whitlock, children Teo and Jocelyn (née Turner) Whitlock, Jamie and Kinga (née Skretkowicz) Ferguson, and grandchildren Kuba, Natalia, and Hayes–all of whom so admired his “fine, fine hair.”

A private ceremony is planned for next summer at a favorite family destination, the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In lieu of flowers, contributions to the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (https://cholangiocarcinoma.org