Whitey was born on June 7, 1920 in Omak, WA to Jake and Edna Warfield.  He was the youngest of 6 children; Ewan Warfield, Beatrice (Betty) Duffy, Maude Fitzgerald, Nellie Neumayer, and Clyde Warfield.  Whitey lived his whole life in the Skagit Valley, attending grade school in the Day Creek School and graduating from Sedro Woolley High school in 1937. 

He entered the United States Army Air Force in January 1942, receiving his training in Fort Lewis, WA and Witchita Falls, TX.  He was sent to Australia in 1942 where he served for 3 years in the South West Pacific region including the East Indies, Philippines, and New Guinea.  He was discharged in September of 1945 and moved back to the Skagit County area.  Whitey was proud of his service to our country and he could be found each Memorial Day placing flags and flowers on the graves of those who lost their lives in service. 

Whitey married Mildred Elizabeth Lanphere on January 18, 1947 and they spent the next 66 years together.  They had two sons, John and Brad, who were shown the value of hard work and the ability to construct or fix anything by Whitey’s solid example.  Whitey spent his early working years in the logging and construction industries throughout the Valley.  One of his most notable jobs was working on the construction of the Upper Baker Dam running the machine that hauled the concrete from the batch plant to the dam.  He retired in 1983 from Skagit Corporation in Sedro-Woolley where he was an Inspector in the Machinists Union. 

Whitey loved the outdoors and was truly in his element with a fishing rod in his hand, hunting in Eastern WA, tilling the soil in his garden or sitting next to a campfire.  Whitey and Millie’s garden was famous amongst family and friends; something he enjoyed and took pride in right up until his passing.  He was a member of the Wildcat Steelhead Club and the Coffee Club at Norm’s Barber Shop in Sedro-Woolley where he could be found in the mornings swapping stories with the guys. 

Whitey was preceded in death by his parents and all of his siblings.  He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Millie Warfield of Sedro-Woolley; son, John Warfield of Bow and son Brad Warfield (Barb) of Tonasket; granddaughters, Sarah (Steve) Richey of Tonasket and Amanda (Tony) Call of Tonasket, great-grandchildren, Karlie, Brooke, Jaycie, and Ben Richey all of Tonasket, and several nieces and nephews.  His family was a source of happiness for him, enjoying each one and their accomplishments.  He felt blessed to be able to be a part of his great-grandchildren’s lives, watching them enjoy many of the same things he loved. 

A Graveside Service with Military Honors will be held on Saturday, May 18^th at 2:00 in the afternoon at the Sedro-Woolley Union Cemetery with Pastor Wendy Tingley officiating.

  Whitey’s family would like to thank Dr. Eric Stark for his excellent care and compassion as well as the caring staff at Life Care Center in Sedro-Woolley.