Charlene Claire (Wallace) Wilhite

On Tuesday, February 16, 2021, Charlene C. Wilhite, loving wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away at the age of 67.

Charlene was born on December 26, 1953 to Charles and Doris (Lagasse) Wallace. She is a 1971 graduate of Fort Branch High School and received her nursing degrees from Ivy Tech Community College and the University of Southern Indiana in 1993. Before she began her nursing career, she was the Editor for the Fort Branch Times Star Echo for 13 years. She was also a helper with the Girls Scouts. Her nursing career began in the Cardiac/Pulmonary Unit at St. Mary’s. She was a wonderful nurse and case manager who loved caring for people for 21 years. She was an active member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marengo, IN.

On April 28, 1972 she married Gregory Wilhite. During their nearly 49 years of marriage, they raised three children and later opened their home and their hearts by adopting children from the Ukraine.

Charlene absolutely loved her children and grandchildren. There were many wonderful memories of sleepovers, camping trips, and the annual pilgrimage to Camp Ondessonk. Even as she supported and enjoyed Greg’s advancements in his career, she insisted on having the grandkids visit every summer and during the holidays. She was lucky enough to spend the last seven winters in Florida since retirement. She also had a passion for her pets and her plants. She was known for her spoiled dogs and her beautiful garden.

Besides her parents, she is preceded in death by a beloved granddaughter, Brooklynn.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Greg Wilhite; her children, Carrie (Matthew) Wallace of Princeton, IN, Jill Wilhite of Oak Park, IL, Kevin Wilhite of Nashville, TN, Svitlana (Enos) Schwartz of Eckerty, IN, Elizabeth (Nicholas) Woods of Marengo, IN, Haylie Wilhite of Taswell, IN and Bella Conley of Marengo, IN; siblings, Don (Dorothy) Wallace of Owensville, IN, Richard (Carol) Wallace of Owensville, IN, and Waughnita (Bobby) King of Princeton, IN; her grandchildren, Abigail and Owen Wallace, Carter Wilhite, Miles and Eve Baron, and Olivia and Addison Wilhite; her aunt, Loraine Lagasse; as well as several cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, February 22, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Stodghill Funeral Home in Fort Branch with Father Luke Hassler officiating and will begin with a rosary service. Visitation will be on Sunday, February 21, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. and again on Monday, February 22, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. until service time at the funeral home. Burial will be in Holy Cross Cemetery. Due to covid-19, crowd sizes are limited to 50 people in the building at one time and masks and social distancing are required. A livestream of the service will be available for those who cannot attend. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Charlene Wilhite Memorial Nursing Scholarship Endowment at the USI Foundation 8600 University Boulevard, Evansville, IN 47712. www.usi.edu/onlinegiving. Expressions of sympathy can be made at stodghillfuneralhome.com.

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