Paul Morrison Whiting was born August 9, 1937 at Columbia Hospital, Washington, D.C. to Helen (Perley) and Henry J. Whiting.

Paul’s family moved often: Bethesda, Maryland; Baltimore where Ann was born; Milwaukee where Mary was born; Edison Park, IL; St. Anthony Park, St. Paul, MN. When Paul was 15 the family boarded the Queen Elizabeth to live in Geneva, Switzerland where his father developed the Lutheran World Relief Service.

Paul attended the International School of Geneva with classmates from 65 countries. He made life-long friends from India, South Africa, Italy, and Peru. He learned French on the streets which enabled him to get a Masters of Teaching French from Northwestern University without undergraduate French studies. In the middle of his senior year, his family returned at Montclair, NJ where he graduated from high school in 1955. Paul then went to St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN to graduate with a Phi Beta Kappa in Physics and Math. Paul met Dorothy Knutson at a summer work camp at a canoe base in northern Minnesota. They married August 18, 1962 in Minneapolis.

Paul taught math at a Deerborn, MI high school and physics at St. Olaf before turning to a 14 year career of teaching French at Lake Forest High School, IL. Their children, Maureen and Allan, were born in Lake Bluff, IL. Paul spent the summers of 1967 and 1969 taking students to Brittany, France. Paul developed the language lab into a video communications department before the family moved to Madison, WI, where Paul worked for cable companies for 5 years, eventually doing video work for the Lutheran Synod in Madison. The bishops asked Paul to go to Mexico City to videotape Lutheran visits to AMEXTRA a Mexican Christian non-profit helping poor communities to develop. Later Dorothy and Paul worked in Cuernava producing Spanish and English videos of their work.

On their return, they settled in Billings, MT, where Dorothy died in 1997. Paul developed his black and white photography with exhibits at the MSU School of Architecture, Museum of the Beartooths in Columbus, Babcock Theater, Good Earth Market, Yellowstone Art Museum. He published some photographs in “as the way opens.”

Paul married Betty Waddell October 2, 1999 and with Shan Cousrouf, they co-managed the Flatiron Gallery in Billings for three years. Paul joined the Quakers and was a peace advocate. Betty and Paul moved to Sheridan, WY in 2024.

Paul died at home on March 11 leaving his sisters Ann Pratt (Neal) and Mary Peterson (Mark); his children Maureen (Binu Chacko) and Allan (Mandy Davis) and four grandsons: Aarian, Jackson, Armaan, and Wesley; his wife, Betty, and her daughters, Arin Waddell (John Heyneman) and Shanna Shelby and six grandchildren: Quinn, Arlee, Aria, Dawson, Bae-John, and Halia.

The life celebration of Paul Whiting followed the Quaker tradition was held at the Unitarian Universalists on Sunday, March 15 at 2 p.m.

Memorials may be made to a charity of your choice.

Champion Kane Funeral Home has been entrusted with local arrangements.

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