Dr. William Melcher Whitby

Dr. William Melcher Whitby passed on March 18, 2013, at home in Cottonwood, AZ, just shy of his 93rd birthday. He was born on April 1, 1920 at the family home in Germantown, PA. He studied Agronomy briefly at the University of Delaware, then entered the U.S. Army in 1942, where he served as forward observer with the 403rd Field Artillery Battalion, 85th Infantry (Custer)Division in the Italian Campaign during the push north of Rome. Achieving the rank of 1st Lieutenant, he received the Bronze Star for gallantry in action. After the war, he studied the Romance Languages, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Haverford College, and then earned his PhD from Yale University. He taught graduate studies at USC, University of Arizona and Purdue University, retiring in 1987, when he moved to Cottonwood. He and his wife Lynn spent their days enjoying the Arts, travel, hiking and exploring with their many close friends. He was a man of great courage, inner strength, and discipline, and above all, a gentleman. He is survived by Lynn, his wife of 67 years, son Christopher, daughter Barbara and her husband Randy, grandson Matthew, brother Ted and sister Katherine. An online guestbook is available to sign at www.westcottfuneralhome.com