05/17/2023
Deputy David Whittier - 12/7/1947 - 9/8/1989
Prior to becoming a full-time Deputy, David Whittier served the community as a member of the Orleans County Mounted Patrol. As a volunteer sworn officer, Dave and the rest of the Mounted Patrol were called upon to help with numerous duties including search and rescue of people in the county, patrolling the Orleans County 4-H fair, other community events, and working at NASCAR races in Watkins Glen. He and the other members of the Mounted Patrol along with their horses went through significant training both on and off their horses. Dave loved this work and took pride in helping the community.
Dave Whittier had a very successful 20 year career at Kodak; however, he truly hated every moment of the work as he always had another dream in mind. When he left Kodak, Dave went on to fulfill his dream of being a police officer and serving the community. He went to the Rural Police Academy at GCC in 1987. He graduated from the Academy #1 in his class. He was also an expert with the revolver, and he went on to have the most DWI arrests in his short career.
After interviewing and being offered positions with police departments in Arizona and Florida, Deputy Whittier was offered a position in the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office where he was excited to serve his home community.
On January 19, 1989 Deputy Whittier stopped to check out an unoccupied pick up truck on the Gaines Basin Road in Albion as there had been robberies in the area. It was after midnight on a Thursday night/Friday morning, and he had his overhead car lights on when he pulled up behind the pick up. Sadly, a young man came barreling down the road drunk and high, and did not see the pickup or the patrol car. Deputy Whittier heard the vehicle coming down the road and dove between the pickup and patrol car to get out of the way. Unfortunately, the driver’s car barreled into the pickup truck and pinned Deputy Whittier between the truck and the patrol car dragging him approximately 100 feet down the road. When the vehicles came to rest, he was pinned under the truck and was pounding on it to get out from underneath. The owner of the pickup, who was out hunting in the nearby field, heard the commotion and ran to the road. He helped get Deputy Whittier out from under the vehicle and simultaneously somehow contacted the Sheriff’s Office. This remarkable man saved Deputy Whittier.
The police arrived in full force and the ambulance crew took Deputy Whittier to Medina Hospital and sent a friend of the family to share the news with Deputy Whittier’s family that he had been in an “accident,” and the family needed to go to the hospital. The young driver had a minor injury and his passengers were unhurt. The driver was arrested for drunk driving.
When Deputy Whittier arrived at Medina Hospital, Dr. Misiti and his team worked to stabilize Deputy Whittier. However, he was in critical condition and needed to get to ECMC as quickly as possible. Once at ECMC, Deputy Whittier underwent more than 14 hours of surgery. The doctors lost him 6 or 7 times on the operating table, and when he was finally able to be admitted to the Trauma Unit, he was completely unrecognizable. His injuries were extensive and very severe. The trauma surgeons at ECMC were not very optimistic about his chances for survival; but, he was strong and had a will to live. For months he had ups and downs and countless surgeries. He was in immense pain, had memory loss, and was unable to do pretty much anything he had been able to do before the crash.
Eventually after nearly 5 months in the hospital, he was “strong enough” to go home, as he so badly wanted to do. The family established what was essentially a hospital type setting in their living room. Deputy Whittier’s wife, Connie, was the best nurse. Although untrained and totally unprepared for the unbelievable tasks that would be asked of her, she did everything she could to help her husband to recover with the help of home care nurses, physical therapists, and their family. At first, Deputy Whittier seemed to be getting a bit better, but then the family and doctors saw that he was not.
He went back into the hospital after just a few short weeks home. Once back in the hospital, Deputy Whittier and his family learned that he had developed trauma induced cancer. The doctors explained that his body had been so ravaged and through so much trauma, and was so weak that he was unable to fight off the cancer. He succumbed on September 8, 1989. He was just 41 years old.
Throughout the whole unbelievable ordeal, the Sheriff’s Office, music community (Deputy Whittier was a gifted musician and lead of the band Defiance), and the community at large was so incredibly kind and generous. The family recalls many amazing fundraisers were held to assist the family, and hundreds of letters, cards, phone calls and gifts came in from all over the United States to wish Deputy Whittier well when he was first injured and to try to heal the family’s broken hearts when he died.
Deputy Whittier’s funeral was an incredible tribute to a man who wanted to help the community and fulfill his dream of being a police officer. Sheriff Dave Green gave an incredible eulogy. The service was attended by hundreds of people from all over the community as well as hundreds of police officers from all over the area. It was a beautiful tribute.
After Deputy Whittier died, the Orleans County Deputy Sheriff’s Association along with the family created a scholarship in his memory. The scholarship was developed to assist students in Orleans County interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement. Over the years, many students have benefited from the generosity of the scholarship in pursuit of their dream to serve the community.
Deputy Whittier’s nephew, Douglas Ashbery and his wife Jennifer Ashbery along with the Orleans County Deputy Sheriff’s Association are working to help rebuild the scholarship fund so that more young people interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement are able to achieve their dreams. Their generosity along with the incredible work of the Orleans County Deputy Sheriff’s Association will truly make a difference to those students receiving the scholarship.
Deputy Whittier is survived by his wife Connie Whittier, daughter Kellie and her husband Ron Spychalsk, along with their sons David and Daniel, and son Thad Whittier and his wife Kim along with their children Paige and Thad, Jr. Sadly, Deputy Whittier died before his children were married and never had the privilege to meet his grandchildren.
The family is truly grateful for the continued remembrance of their husband, father, brother, and uncle by the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office, Orleans County Deputy Sheriff’s Association, friends, and loved ones. They are truly grateful, humbled and honored that Doug and Jen Ashbery have generously chosen to support this scholarship to continue to keep Deputy Whittier’s memory alive. In lieu of flowers. In addition to the generosity of Doug and Jen Ashbery, Gary Radford has also contributed.
The Orleans County Deputy Sheriff’s Association is honored to work with Deputy Whittier’s family to make the scholarship a success and in sharing this statement with the community in remembrance of Deputy Whittier.
