In Memoriam - Esther Whitlinger

In Memoriam - Esther Whitlinger

We are very sad to have to report that Esther Whitlinger, member #027, slipped her moorage for the last time on Friday September 30th, three days before Mel and Esther would have celebrated their 64th anniversary. Esther was 87 years old when she passed. They met when Mel was serving in the Army in Germany – a couple of 23-year-old’s that fell in love and never parted.  They have two daughters and a son.

Mel and Esther were perfectly paired, they both loved to boat and to fish – Mel says “she was a good woman and great with handling the boat”.  She could fish with the best, recounting how she came back with a 30 pound salmon after fishing in the dinghy one day in the waters around Rivers Inlet.  “She could out-fish me” Mel told me.

Esther found their boat they owned for 30 years at the Tollycraft dealer and insisted Mel come look at it.  It was love at first sight and they bought it and named the 40’ Defever with twin diesels the “Rampage” – a boat very well known around our club in the day.

They cruised with the John Clarks, Don & Virginia Perkins and Bob and Diane Prestebak up to favorite fishing grounds around Sullivan Bay and the inlets on the way to Rivers Inlet.
 
- Ken Klett, Club Chaplain