Ralph Q. Whiting Jr., 94, of Port Charlotte, Fla., and formerly of Massachusetts and Ohio, passed away Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013, in Port Charlotte.

He was born Dec. 2, 1918, in West Upton, Mass., to Dorothy (nee Decrow) and Ralph Q. Whiting.

Ralph graduated from Fitchburg State Teachers College in Fitchburg, Mass., with a degree in Industrial Arts, and was married to his first wife, Hilda Smith. Following graduation, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps and served his country during World War II from 1943 to 1946. After the war, he was employed with Howland Local Schools as a Graphic Arts Teacher for 23 years in Warren, Ohio. Ralph then met and later married his wife Paula Jo Marshall on July 14, 1978. He left public education and was the owner and operator of Howland Letter Service for 26 years in Cortland, Ohio. Retiring in 1994, Ralph and Paula moved to Port Charlotte in 2000 from Ohio. He was a member of the Howland Classroom Teachers Association and is a present member of the Retired Howland Classroom Teachers, as well as a past member of the Ohio Education Association. He is a past member of the Great Lakes Cruising Club and Howland United Methodist Church.

He is survived by his wife, Paula Jo Whiting; daughter, Merralee Whiting Durst; sons, Ralph Q. Whiting III and Robert G. Whiting; grandchildren, Joelle (Michael) Blessing Mowry, Gregory B. Blessing, and Robert, Branden, Adelynn, Molly and Walter Sutton Whiting; great-grandchildren, Laurenne (Michael) Mowry LoVullo, and Hannah Joy Mowry; step-grandchildren, Scott (Michelle) Durst and Jennifer (Bob) Durst Kirby; step-great-grandchildren, Alexis and Kayla Kirby; sister, Eleanor Waterfield; and nephew, Peter Waterfield.

No public services are planned. A private committal will be held at a later date. Memorial donations are suggested to Tidewell Hospice Inc., 5955 Rand Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34238; and/or the Nicole Wilcox Foundation, P.O. Box 1149, Powell, OH 43065. Friends may visit online at www.robersonfh.com to extend condolences to the family and sign the memory book.

Arrangements are by Roberson Funeral Home & Crematory, Port Charlotte Chapel.