William Whitlock

William Abel Whitlock of Bloomington, formerly of Minneapolis, died at Friendship Village at the age of 93 on March 30, 2022.  He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Alice Bartel Whitlock, and is survived by his wife, Shirley; sister, Patricia Daniels (James); brother, Robert (Peggy); and children, Anne (Michael), William (Serena), Justin (Stephanie), Jane, Tom (Mary); and grandchildren, Kieran, Oliver, Sophia, Ray, Nico, Joe, Ethan, Caleb, Adriana, Samuel and Reece; and one beloved great-grandchild, Aura Moon.

He was born in Faribault, raised in Belle Plaine, South St. Paul, St. Cloud and Edina Morningside.  He attended the U of M for undergraduate and law school, graduating with honors in 1953.  He served as law clerk to Justice Matson of the MN Supreme Court and then with Judge Norby on the US District Court for MN. He joined the JAG Corps of the 11th Airborne Division and was stationed in Germany.  Following his time in the Army, he joined the law firm of Dorsey and Whitney where he practiced law for the next 38 years.  He married Shirley Rae Olhausen in 1960 and together they raised five children and were married for 61 years.

Some of his favorite phrases were: “What does it take to get someone to turn off the lights in this house?”; “Mach Schnell” when he wanted us to get moving; or “Your English is abominable!”  But beyond the phrases, he was a masterful storyteller who had a gleam in his eye that grew as his tale unfolded.

He planted gardens wherever he lived, sharing its bounty with all. He taught us to be loyal, responsible and to see things through. He took us to the voting booth, teaching us to be civic-minded by example. He taught us to take care of things whether it was oiling his size 13AAAA wingtips or sanding and oiling the family cabin in Hayward, WI. In his mind, there was only one way to do things, and it was usually the long and arduous way. He abided no shortcuts.

His skills in the kitchen were legendary, whether it was whipping up a Bavarian Cream with the Amateur Chefs, canning pickles and tomatoes, or introducing us to such delicacies as Jamaican Pork Roast and Armenian Pizza. But his favorite by far was a perfectly crisped slice of bacon.

As he tends to his Celestial garden, we hope he has his feet up, sipping an NA beer and reflecting on a job well done.

Services to be held at 10:00am Friday, April 29 at LAKEWOOD CHAPEL, 3600 Hennepin Ave S, with visitation beginning at 9:30. In lieu of flowers the family would like you to consider a gift to: The MN Historical Society, 345 W Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102.

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