Cindy (Christy) Whitesell, 78, of Champaign, died at home on Oct. 31, 2023, after a series of recent health battles.
There will be a funeral mass at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Champaign on Tuesday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m.
Mrs. Whitesell was born Jan. 27, 1945 at home in Schram City. As a lively beautiful girl, she was studious and accomplished at twirling a baton. By the time she was 13, with her father’s assistance, she twirled a fire baton in evening shows. She met the love of her life at age 18 at Hillsboro High School. They married and moved to Champaign when she was 19 where she had her first child at age 20. She was raised Baptist and attended RCIA to become Catholic in the 1960s.
For over 30 years, she did bookkeeping and payroll for the family business, Skip’s Shell/Skip’s Sunoco/Lincolnshire Marathon. During these years, she raised four children and was active at Holy Cross Parish and School. She was a certified scuba diver and loved to travel. With her husband, she traveled to Rome, Portugal, Spain, Hawaii and other countless destinations all over the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America, the Canary Islands and even toured the Kasbah with armed guards.
After her husband passed away in 2009, she continued to travel with friends and participated in Holy Cross’s Berevement Group. She loved to read and visit with family and friends. She always had an encouraging word and was an unabashed optimist to the very end. Her entire adult life, she was always welcoming and hospitable to any guests. She was an example of a life well-lived.
Mrs. Whitesell is survived by her four children, Kent (Laura Hutchcraft) Whitesell, Willis John “Whitty” (Jennifer) Whitesell, Carlin (Joan) Whitesell and Christy (Eduard) Forehand; 11 grandchildren, Samuel, Madeline, Ethan, Elaina (Joseph Petrarca), Hannibal, Maryam, Fulton, Jacob, Catherine, Conrad and Lucinda; and four great-grandchildren, Amanda, Ty, Lilah, Theo and Gabriel.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Glen Christy and Hadie (Brummit) Christy; brothers Ronald and Kenneth Christy; and her husband, Willis “Skip” Whitesell.
Condolences may be offered at www.morganmemorialhome.com.
