Obituary of Rocky Whitmore

Rocky Whitmore, as everyone knew him was born in Laurens, SC, was the son of the late Harvey Freeman Whitmore, Sr. and Nellie Ann Faulkner Whitmore. He attended the local public schools in Spartanburg County, Enoree Elementary, Woodruff Junior High, Woodruff Senior High. He graduated from North Greenville College, Newberry College, and Greenville Technical College. Rocky was a member of the marching band from junior high through college. While in college he was a member of the Army ROTC and the music fraternity Phi Mu Alpha. He was always surrounded by music. He worked as a DJ through college at WKMG and WSSL. He was an over-the-road truck driver, where he was able to see all 48 states. His love for country music changed to Christian contemporary music after he accepted Jesus as his personal Savior. He started praying for a wife. He listened to God and was directed to Mauldin, SC, where he met the love of his life, Pam McKittrick. At that time, he was a professional photographer which had him often traveling. After they were married, Rocky changed vocations and began to play trumpet again in churches. He has played trumpet for First Assembly of God, Greenville, SC; Victory Family Church, Greenville, SC; Brookwood Church, Simpsonville, SC; and Discover Church, Simpsonville, SC. With his extensive background in radio, he gained a lot of knowledge on the technical side of sound. He also volunteered running camera and assisted in the sound and media areas at Brookwood Church, Simpsonville, SC; Catalyst Church and New Spring, both in Greenville, SC. He was a very talented musician. Rocky had a talent that was God given. He could play trumpet, clarinet, flute, flugelhorn, trombone, saxophone, guitar, piano and fiddle. His favorite was the trumpet. Although he had gone to college to become a high school band director, he never had the opportunity to teach band in the public or private sector. He always wondered why he had gone through all that hard work and never used it. He realized that after they adopted their twin daughters from Romania. Rocky homeschooled them all the way from 3rd grade through high school. He never was a huge sports fan until Alexandra and Andreea came home. He helped coach their first Upward basketball team. The twins love for basketball became his love for basketball as well. He enjoyed watching them play. He had an accident that disabled him physically and caused him a lot of pain, that we will never really understand. There were times that he was not able to attend functions, sporting events or church because of this pain. He loved RV camping since his boyhood. He shared the love of camping with his wife and family. Vacations were spent at RV resorts. He loved Myrtle Beach the most and became very fond of the campground at St. Augustine. They spent many vacations camping in SC, FL, GA, TN, NC, PA, and VA. Several highlights of his life were walking Andreea down the aisle and giving his daughter away to wed Tim Washburn and becoming a Papa to Daniel. He was always thinking about him. Their favorite thing to do together was to watch Paw Patrol on TV. When granddaughters Daciana and Cristina were born he became nervous, thinking they were more fragile than boys. The loss of muscle in his arms prevented him from holding them as much as he really wanted to. His whole family were huge Ford fans for life, although he drove a Chevy truck. I think Pam had something to do with that. He kept wanting a Ford Truck-sorry Rocky you had to go to Heaven and meet your dad and tell him you drove a Chevy truck till the end. Pam recalls, “Our first date was to Wednesday night prayer meeting at Faith Baptist Church in Simpsonville, SC. Our last day together was spent watching church on TV, since we were all a little under the weather. We started our relationship with God in the beginning, we kept God close and very involved throughout our marriage. When we made the commitment, till death do us part, to God, with all our family and friends present, we took it seriously. When God called Rocky home, our marriage promise and covenant with God had been fulfilled.” He is survived by Pamela McKittrick Whitmore, his loving and devoted wife of 37 years, his twin daughters, Alexandra Whitmore, Andreea (Tim) Washburn, and 3 grandchildren Daniel Whitmore, Cristina Whitmore and Daciana Washburn: his brother Brian (Jane) Whitmore and Lydia of Laurens; two special aunts, Jane Mize of Roebuck and JoAnn Burgess and Uncle Bobby Burgess of Enoree and many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. Celebration of his life will be held Friday, November 4, 2022 at 11:00 am at Brookwood Church Chapel in Simpsonville, SC. The family will receive friends immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers memorials can be made to Simpsonville Church of God, Nursery Department, PO Box 427 Simpsonville, SC 29681.