Calvin (“Cal”) Lambert Whitbeck, loving husband and father, passed away at home in Mount Dora, Florida on May 14, 2022 in the care of family and Cornerstone Hospice. He was 95 years old.
A kind, generous man with a goofy sense of humor, Cal loved music and had his own swing band in 8th or 9th grade. He also played trumpet in the Detroit All City High School Marching Band. He enjoyed being on the water, playing golf and the trumpet, volunteering and writing. A Navy veteran, Cal published a memoir of his experiences as a young enlisted serviceman, entitled “Teen Remembrances: World War II Pacific Action on LST-801,” as well as an article in Guideposts Magazine.
Cal was born in 1926 in Detroit, Michigan, to parents Dora Isabel Whitbeck and Bethul Lambert Whitbeck. Cal called Dora his “Saintly Mother” for letting his teenage band practice in their small living room.
Always a diligent worker, Cal began selling magazines at age 11, became a delivery boy, and sold shoes before joining the Navy in 1944. He attended Wayne State University and graduated with distinction in 1949. He also taught accounting at night school at Western Michigan University. Cal became a licensed CPA and worked for the IRS and Price-Waterhouse and Co. before starting his own firm. He retired shortly after merging with Plante Moran.
Other accomplishments: Chairman of the SW Michigan Association of CPA’s; Director of the Michigan Association of CPA’s; and President of the Battle Creek Chapter of the Nat’l Association of Accountants; President of the Campfire Girls of Battle Creek, MI and board member of the Battle Creek Good Samaritan Hospice. Cal was also a member and elder of the First Presbyterian churches of Albion MI, Pennfield, MI and Mount Dora, FL.
Survived by his wife, Reta Joycelyn Whitbeck; his children, Linda Jane (Dennis) Jirous of Kentwood, MI and William Jeffrey (Yavonne) Whitbeck of Leslie, MI; his daughters-in-law Debra (Robert) Whitbeck of Holland, MI and Bobbie (Calvin, Jr.) Whitbeck of Newport, NC; his step-children, Susan Brown of Crockett, CA and Christopher Brown of Rio de Janiero, Brazil; his grandchildren Bryan Jirous, Jamie (Peter) Knight, Kate (Michael) Bishop, Amaren Whitbeck, Elaine (Noah) Zomberg, Alex Whitbeck and Lydia Whitbeck; and great-grandchildren Jessica, Shannon and Avery Jirous, Adeline and Makenzee Knight, and Landon Whitbeck.
Predeceased by his first wife, Maren Jane McMakin; his sons Calvin Whitbeck, Jr. and Robert Alan Whitbeck; his infant daughter Debbie Ann Whitbeck; his son-in-law Dennis Jirous; his parents, Dora Isabel (Wellman) Whitbeck and Bethul Lambert Whitbeck; and his brothers
Vernon, Donald and George Whitbeck.
A memorial celebration of Cal’s life will be held at the First Presbyterian Church, 222 W 6th Ave, Mount Dora, FL, 32757 on Saturday, June 18, 2022 at 2pm, officiated by Pastor Cynthia deVos; in lieu of flowers, those who wish may donate to the church’s memorial fund or have a tree planted in his name. Cal’s ashes will be interred at Bedford Cemetery in Battle Creek, MI and the First Presbyterian Church in Mount Dora, FL.