John Charles Whitehouse

John Charles Whitehouse, father of 2, stepfather of 3, grandfather of 11, and great-grandfather of 11, died of natural causes on October 24th, 2026, surrounded by loving family and pets at his home in Omaha, Nebraska.

Born July 30th, 1940, in Ottumwa, Iowa, to Mildred Keller Whitehouse and Dr. William Nelson Whitehouse, John attended the University of Iowa, where he studied medicine and social anthropology. He left medical school to marry his first wife, Kaye, and joined the military, where he was sent to Yugoslavia and Germany as a medic and teacher of German language to GIs stationed in Landstuhl. He enjoyed skiing, traveling with friends, and by the end of his service he was a father to Lezli, and 4 years later his son Edward (Kodi) was adopted into the family. As a young family they attended many Native Pow Wows and camped often.

John was a deeply contemplative student of life, with special interests in anthropology, spirituality, mediation, woodworking, and all forms of construction.

This student of life was destined to become a teacher. While working construction, John met a man, Charlie, who could not read a tape measure. John took his time helping Charlie learn, and this soon turned into daily visits to John's house for reading lessons and coffee before heading to the work sight each morning. When John’s mother gave him a small inheritance, he purchased a typewriter and spent hours building the layouts for a professionally written and edited (by him) newsletter for adult literacy teachers. The newsletter never made much money (as he sold it to volunteers) but Charlie was reading nighttime stories to his 4-year-old boy by the time he turned 50.

John never met a person he could not teach something to, or learn something from, and mostly both. He taught anthropology, Women’s Studies, and Native American Studies at numerous colleges, mostly the University of Nebraska at Omaha. As a teacher, he was clear, articulate, and knowledgeable. He was intentional about being present in the moment, listening and answering the questions asked, rather than focusing on what he was going to say next.

John taught those around him, by example (and sometimes through spontaneous lecture), how to be quiet, watch, listen, learn, and find compassion for all beings.

He often wished to transcend his own limits, so he could do more for others. When he saw someone who needed help, he always tried. John remarked with some sadness that “...people didn’t want me to lead,” but they always learned from him, and felt his compassion and wisdom. He was an early fighter for equal rights for all: Native Peoples, Women, LGBTQIA, the Undereducated, etc.

His altruism found natural outlet through the Metro Mediation Center, in Omaha, where he and his colleagues helped resolve cases in small claims court.

John took great pride in woodworking, making beautiful canoes and carvings by hand. His skill at building seemed boundless: upon moving in with Melissa Godfrey, his second wife, he singlehandedly finished the basement of their home. This project included a large bedroom, occupied by his teenage stepchildren in turn. (Each teenager especially appreciated how the sizeable egress window, which John built for safety, happened to make it very easy to sneak out and back in.) At their next house, well in his 60s, John thought nothing of hauling the lumber and hundred-pound bags of concrete needed to build a new second-story deck. He helped build the Zen gates for Lauritzen Gardens, and watched for hours in awe as massive crews transported Big Boy #4023, one of the largest steam engines ever built, weighing 1.2 million pounds, to the gardens for display.

Every summer, John’s “vacations” consisted of visiting family and helping them with various projects. He would drive to his brother Bill in Ohio, and they’d work on Bill’s cabin. Then John would drive Bill to Massachusetts, where they’d spend time with Lezli, Lisa, and Dontano; time that included canoeing, building a screened porch, re-siding the back of the barn with 20-foot boards, and adding pathways and rocks to the labyrinth.

John’s curiosity wasn’t limited to construction, but destruction as well: he spearheaded numerous outings to watch the demolition of multi-story buildings, an event the rest of the family grew to cherish.

John helped establish the Nebraska Zen Center – including building their first wooden sign – and practiced there for many years. He was also an active member of the First Unitarian Church of Omaha.

Authenticity was an effortless way of being for John, and he leaves us, more than anything, with the legacy of his example: a life lived on his own frequency, guided by his own values, always curious about, but rarely swayed by, the opinions and styles of the world.

John is survived by his wife of 25 years, Melissa, her three children, Andy, Kate, and Molly; his first wife Kaye, their children Lezli and Kodi; 11 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; brother-in-law Dr. Jim Nicholas; sister-in-law Ruth Whitehouse; and grand dogs Clara and Bernie, who spent hours at his feet.

He is preceded in death by parents Dr. William Whitehouse and Mildred Whitehouse, brother Dr. William Whitehouse, and sister Joan Nicholas.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to First Unitarian Church of Omaha.

Celebration of life to be determined, Summer of 2027.