C.J. ‘Smoke’ Whetsell
WHETSELL
On Oct. 13, 2024, Smoke, 84, departed this earth peacefully at Nella’s of Autumn Lake, where he had been a resident for two years. He was on hospice for the last three months of his life.
He was preceded in death by his father, Jeff Whetsell; his mother, Natalie Whetsell; and his girlfriend of 30 years, Mary Agnes Chenoweth.
Smoke was in the Navy for years. He was lucky he got to see the world. He worked for his father’s block company for awhile and then went to work for the railroad, but he had to retire early to take care of his father, who was blind. After his father passed away, he took some time off to hang out with Mary.
They traveled out west in a camper for eight weeks. They had a great time. Then he went to work for the stae of West Virginia until he retired.
Smoke was best known for his deep love of bear hunting and hanging out at his garage with his friends. He cooked breakfast for his friends on the weekends for many years. His friends were very important to him.
A lot of people didn’t know he was a great stepdad and stepgrandfather. While he was in Nella’s, his best friend of 40 years, Harold Fisher, visited with him almost twice everyday. Chris Campion and Jack Judy were really important friends too that visited very often.
He loved Harold’s peanut butter fudge and Chris’s meatballs. Smoke passed away from complications of dementia.
He was a proud Democrat.