Issie Baker Whitehead went to be with the Lord on April 9th 2021 at the age of 89. She lived in Inverness for nearly 40 years and was a member of First Christian Church of Inverness where she sang in the choir and was an active participant in church missions.
Her mother died when Issie was a toddler, and she was raised by her great aunt and uncle, Flossie and Horace Cox, in Richmond, Kentucky. She was a much-loved member of the family where she gained sisters Ernestine and Wanda and brother Albert, all deceased.
She graduated from high school in Hamilton, Ohio, where she lived with her father, Lilburn Baker. She met her husband Elmer Whitehead there and had a long career as an administrative assistant with Pease Housing Corporation in Hamilton. After her husband retired, they moved to Inverness where he passed away in 1992.
In addition to church-related activities, Issie enjoyed her weekday ritual of joining friends at the Hen House or the .88c Breakfast for an early breakfast.
Issie met her second husband Karl J. (KJ) Starzinger at church. They enjoyed three years together before KJ passed away in 2018.
She is survived by her cousins Barbara and Mike Moore and Ann Cox Davis and step-children Erich Starzinger and Tanya Davis as well as her brother and sister-in-law, Fred and Cheryl Starzinger, and sister-in-law Joanna Wilson. She also leaves her friends Jim Anderson, and Debbie Fulps. Her half sister, Caroline Baker Johnson, predeceased her.
A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Friday, April 16th at 11:30 AM from the Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home with Rev. Tom Thomas and Dr. Ray Kelly officiating. Burial will follow at Florida National Cemetery. The family will receive friends beginning at 10:30 AM.
Memorials are appreciated. Please consider First Christian Church of Inverness, 2018 Colonade Street, Inverness, FL 34453 or HPH Hospice, 3010 W. Azeele Street, Suite 120, Tampa, FL 33609
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