Jenny Whittaker

Jenny Whittaker was the wife of John "Whit" Whittaker, and she died years before Whit's End came to be. Red-haired and full of fire, she met Whit when she was a young writer and lecturer whose work he rashly mocked to her face. The two struck a bargain: he coached her writing while she cured his fear of public speaking. She was courted by Whit's best friend Jack, but her heart belonged to Whit, and Jack eventually gave their marriage his blessing. In Odyssey she battled the city council to save the old Fillmore recreation building, pleading for a place where kids could just be kids. She collapsed mid-plea; a neglected strep infection had destroyed her kidneys. Whit later rebuilt the Fillmore as Whit's End in her memory, and he remembers her gift for finding treasure inside every disaster.