Albert "Peanuts" George Whiteaker

Funeral Service for Albert Whiteaker will be at 10:00 AM on Monday (8/3) at Bayview Freeborn Funeral Home. Rev. Shawn Stafford will officiate. Burial will be in Hillcrest Cemetery. VIsitation will be 1 hour prior to the service. Masks will be required to enter the service. The service will be live streamed via the Bayview Freeborn Funeral Home Facebook Page starting 5 minutes before the service. Online condolences are welcome at www.bayviewfuneral.com

Albert “Peanuts” Whiteaker, age 84 of Albert Lea, passed away on July 28, 2020 at Prairie Senior Cottages in Albert Lea. 

Peanuts was born on June 7, 1936 to Arthur and Hattie (Drake) Whiteaker in Mower County. Peanuts grew up in the Sargeant area of Mower County and graduated from Hayfield High School. He worked for a few years in south eastern Minnesota before joining the US Army. He was stationed his entire enlistment in Okinawa, Japan. When he returned from the Army, Peanuts worked for Bustad Construction in Austin. He married Barbara Turbett on December 30, 1966 at Little Brown Church in Nashua, IA. Together they raised their family in Manchester. Peanuts worked for the Wilson Meat Packing plant in Albert Lea. 

Peanuts was an avid fisherman. He loved spending time at their camper in Elysian, MN. He enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and teaching them everything he knew about fishing. Peanuts also enjoyed teasing his grandchildren and  his wife. He never missed coffee in the morning at McDonalds. 

Peanuts is survived by his wife of 53 years Barb; children Alan (Vicki Kalow) of Faribault, MN, Paula (Liam Sr.) Powell of Woodbury, MN, Denise (Scott) Vanidestine of Green Bay, WI, Naohito (Mika) Ogura of Osaka, Japan; grandchildren Crystal Benson, Amanda (Jim) Bruender, Aaron Whiteaker, Ben Whiteaker, Liam Powell Jr.,  Erin Powell, Amber Vanidestine, Adam Vanidestine, and Keita Ogura; great-grandchildren Brooke Benson, Aiden Truebenbach, Elizabeth Whiteaker, and Brycen Buender; sisters-in-law Becky Farris and Kim Weiser; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. 

Peanuts was preceded in death by his daughter-in-law Jackie Whiteaker; brother and sister-in-law Bob and Merryelle Whiteaker; and brother-in-law Richard Farris.