Jessica Marie Whitney, 39, left this earth to be with her mother Teresa Whitney in heaven on December 5, 2020. Jessica was born in Manhattan, KS on November 17, 1981 by parents Richard and Teresa Whitney and lived in Shawnee, KS at the time of her passing. She is survived by her father Richard Whitney, Jr., brother Steven Colin, loving partner Jeffery Putman, aunts Judy Quigley and Deborah Strifler, four cousins, two nieces, one nephew, and her dog Minnow Teresa Don Whitney.
Jessica made many of her childhood friends in Solomon, KS and then Central High School in Salina, KS. She went to K-State and graduated from Washburn University in Topeka, KS in 2005 with a BS Computer Information Science with a minor in Mathematics. She has spent most of her career in the area of technology and customer support. For the past 15 years she has been employed by TouchNet Information Systems reaching a title of Senior Manager of Software Operations.
Outside of the office Jessica found her passion in the water. It started on a cruise with her family, a cheap underwater camera, a snorkel, and a beach excursion in Costa Maya. From that moment on she was hooked and eventually became a PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer where she helped countless others reach their dream of scuba diving as well. As her skill and passion grew, so did her love for underwater photography and the eternal friendships she gained thru the dive community. She dove in places like Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, the Cayman Islands, Utila, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas which is where she met her loving partner Jeff Putman.
Jessica will be dearly missed by her family, friends, co-workers, and neighbors who have all banded together to help each other thru this time of tragedy. She had a huge impact on everyone she met which is evident by the countless stories that have already been shared. Her family is incredibly sorry for your loss and is indebted to you for your support. Due to current restrictions, we are not having full services at this time. A celebration of life will be held at a later date, yet to be determined.
If you would like to receive an invitation to her celebration of life please email JessicaWhitneyMemorial@Gmail.com and provide your name, address, phone number and relationship to Jessica. When a date has been set an RSVP will be sent out.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to her memorial fund at https://paypal.me/pools/c/8uWT76X1VV (please copy and paste the web address into your browser)
We encourage you to tell us your stories and how Jess impacted your life. You can do that on this page, on the memorial fund site, on her personal Facebook page, or privately thru the memorial email address provided. Prayers to everyone as we navigate thru this difficult time.
To leave a message of condolence for Jessica's family, or to share a special memory of Jessica, please visit the guestbook below.