Carl Willie Whitehead Sr.

Carl Willie Whitehead, Sr., son of the late Moses and Maggie Whitehead was born on May 3, 1937 in South Hampton, Virginia. He departed this life on July 19, 2013 in Norfolk, Virginia. He was in Norfolk to visit his brother Crawford who was hospitalized because of illness. His brother Crawford departed this life later in the evening. Carl Sr. graduated Hayden High School in Franklin, Virginia. He was very proud of his school and often told of the challenges young blacks faced while trying to obtain an education. Upon graduation from high school he joined the Army in the late fifties and was later assigned to the 82nd Airborne, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The 82nd Airborne division was and still is the airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areas. It is also known as the Presidential bodyguard division. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant (E5) and was one of the first black noncommissioned officers, if not the first, in the 82nd. He would often say that you had to be crazy to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft. He often talked about the difficulties he experienced in an Army that was slow to recognize blacks as equals in spite of the military integration in 1948. He was very proud to serve his country. He told of stories where, while in his uniform, he was denied service because of the color of his skin.He briefly attended Morgan State College located in Baltimore, Maryland. After his honorable discharge in the Army, he worked with his Uncle Joe in Baltimore City. He eventually settled down in Baltimore where he became an independent home renovation contractor working for several real estate holding companies. He also worked with the private sector as well. He was last employed by Layton Properties, Inc. where he worked up until the day he died. He was an extremely hard worker and was serious about the quality of his work product. In 1961 he married the former Rosalie Malachie and their union produced two sons, Carl Jr. and Mark Sr. (now deceased). Upon the ending of their union, he married the former Patricia Fisher, where their union produced a daughter Carla. He also had a son; Troy Whitehead (now deceased). He came from a large family with lots of siblings. He used to say that although they were not rich, he never felt that they were poor because they never missed a meal and never went hungry. He was blessed because he always tried to look after his siblings and his parents. The Family Whitehead (Moses and Maggie Whitehead): Hilda Marie Whitehead (deceased), Calvin Whitehead, Sr., Mabel Perkerson (deceased), Percell Whitehead (deceased), Moses Whitehead (deceased), Stafford Whitehead (deceased), Carl Whitehead, Sr. (deceased), Elsie Mae Williams (deceased), Robert “Tubby” Whitehead, Curtis Whitehead, Gladiola Howell (deceased), Crawford Whitehead (deceased), Joseph Whitehead (deceased), Rochelle Whitehead (deceased) and Mildred Alexander. In addition, Carl Sr. leaves to cherish his memory: his grandsons Mark Jr., Carl III, Troy and Darious; his granddaughters Victoria, Carlyn and Femmie; as well as, two great grandchildren DaVon and Mirah and a host (a whole lot) of nieces, nephews and cousins.

Tributes

Carl Willie Whitehead Sr.

May 3, 1937 - July 19, 2013