Joan Summers Whittle

The body of Joan Summers Whittle expired July 5, 2017. Services will be conducted on Friday July 7 at 7:00 pm at Handley United Methodist Church, Fort Worth, and Saturday, July 8 at 2:30 pm at First United Methodist Church Abilene. Arrangements are by The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road, Abilene. She was born March 11, 1927 in Fort Worth, Texas to Paul and Bernice Summers, grew up in a Christian home along with sister Mary Louise and brother Kenneth. She married Charles Whittle October 24, 1945. They were blessed with one son, Charles Christian (Chris), one daughter Keri Louise, one grandson Paul Christian Dawkins, and one great-grandchild Lily Shalom Dawkins. She graduated from North Side High School in Fort Worth, attended Texas Wesleyan College and graduated from George Peabody College for Teachers in Nashville, TN. She served as a substitute teacher in Nashville and worked as a nurse's assistant for the Tennessee Health Department. A pastor's wife, she taught children's Sunday school class and a women's Bible study class, and accompanied her husband on evangelistic missions in South America and Korea. Together they led pilgrimage groups to the Holy Land and England. She participated in the Israeli Prime Minister's Conference in 1981 and the AMSTERDAM2000 World Evangelism Conference. She served as office secretary for the National Association of United Methodist Evangelists. She was preceded in death by her husband Charles David Whittle, son Charles Christian Whittle, daughter Keri Louise Whittle, and sister Mary Louise Gilley. She is survived by grandson Paul Dawkins and his wife Stephanie and Daughter Lily, brother and sister-in-law Kenneth and Carolyn Summers, sister-in-law Rosemary Mitchell, as well as numerous nephews and nieces. Memorials to First United Methodist Church Abilene or Handley United Methodist Church, Fort Worth.