Anna Mae Whittington

Anna Mae (Green) Whittington, 92, of Rockford, IL, passed away on Sunday, July 5, 2026, at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center, Rockford, IL, after a brief illness. Anna was born on Sunday, June 3, 1934, in Nashville, NC, the daughter of William and Lena (Matthews) Green.

Her father died when she was four years old, and her mother then moved her and her three sisters to New Jersey. Anna lived there throughout her childhood and moved to Rockford in 1957 where she met Cornelius Whittington, the love of her life, and they were married on July 25, 1958, in Mt. Morris, IL. Cornelius died in 1974 and Anna went on to work for OSF St. Anthony Medical Center as the cafeteria supervisor, retiring after 22 years of service.

Anna loved to travel with her mother, Lena, and made many trips back to her home state of North Carolina and to New Jersey and Missouri to visit her sisters. She loved singing, the ocean, crab legs and crossword puzzles. But most of all she loved God and her family. She would remind us always of how good our God is and how blessed she was.

Anna is survived by her sons, Eddie (Patricia) of Cherry Valley, IL, Ron (Ginny) of Rockford and Mitch (Karen) of Rockford; grandchildren, Chad (Tami) Gelafio, Amanda Whittington, Owen (Briana) Whittington, and Anna (Jeff) Spurlock; great-grandchildren, Elizabeth Whittington, Olivia Whittington, Aubrey Whittington, Savannah Johnson, Marianna Spurlock, Laura Dawson, Aryanna Thompson, and Alesandra Gelafio; great-great-grandson, Ryder Thompson; sisters, Sue Singh of Rockford and Margaret Doughty of West Virginia; and many nieces and nephews.

Anna was preceded in death by her father, William Green; her mother, Lena Green Chambers; brothers, Oliver, Washington, Hubert, Clarence and James Green; sisters, Bessie Schwartz, Esther Cross, Mamie “Goody” McKinney, Sharon Crenshaw, and Elsa Green; husband, Cornelius Whittington; son, Russell Whittington; daughter, Linda Whittington; daughter-in-law, Barb Whittington; granddaughter, Holly Whittington; and grandson, Brandon Whittington.

Our family would like to extend a deeply heartfelt thank you for the wonderful care given to Anna while at Ascension Saint Anne Place and especially to her nurse Carolyn Mangruem, YuVonda Armstrong and Lori Williams. Also, a special thank you to Sandra Wolfgram, who was always a caring and kind friend to Anna watching out for her every need.

Service at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 14, 2026, at Delehanty Funeral Home, 401 River Lane, Loves Park, IL, with visitation from 10 a.m. to service time. Burial in Sunset Memorial Gardens, Machesney Park, IL. In lieu of flowers, memorials to Mitch Whittington, c/o Delehanty Funeral Home, for a memorial to be established.