Rayburn Stokes “Coach” Whitener was born March 26, 1942, the son of the late Rayburn and Margarete McGuire Stokes. He graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1964, beginning a life and career that would take him from the football fields of Missouri to the coaching ranks of Texas and, eventually, to Clifton, Tennessee.

On February 10, 1996, he was united in marriage to Sonja Holland, and together they shared more than 30 years of marriage and many cherished memories.

Rayburn was Presbyterian in faith and will be remembered for his love of coaching, his passion for football, and the many young people whose lives he touched along the way. His coaching career began as an assistant coach in Caruthersville, Missouri, and later took him to Hayti, Missouri, and Texas, where he had the opportunity to coach at the highest levels of the game. He also coached baseball throughout the years, but football remained especially close to his heart.

For Rayburn, coaching was about much more than the game itself. He cared about the young people he coached and took pride in encouraging them, teaching them, and helping them grow. The relationships he formed along the way became an important part of the life he built and the legacy he leaves behind.

After retiring from farming, Rayburn moved to Clifton in 2006, where he began a new chapter of his life. He was a true outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and spending time outside. Whether on the sidelines, working the land, or enjoying the outdoors he loved, Rayburn found meaning in the things that brought him purpose and joy.

Mr. Whitener departed this life on September 13, 2026, in Clifton, Tennessee, at the age of 84 years, 5 months, and 18 days.

He is survived by his wife, Sonja (Holland) Whitener of Clifton, Tennessee; his daughter, Tonya Childers and husband Stephen of Cooter, Missouri; his son, Johnny Whitener of Terry, Mississippi; and his stepdaughters, Nicole Morgan and husband Dennis of Louisville, Kentucky, Joelle Bachman and husband Andy of Madisonville, Kentucky, and Amanda Bradford and husband Shane of Henderson, Kentucky. He also leaves behind a host of grandchildren and great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and many friends who will cherish the memories they shared with him.

In addition to his biological parents, Rayburn and Margarete McGuire Stokes, and his adoptive parents, John C. and Martha Whitener, Mr. Whitener was preceded in death by his brother, Robert Whitener.

Rayburn leaves behind a legacy that reaches far beyond the football fields where so much of his life was spent. He will be remembered as a coach who believed in his players, a husband and father who loved his family, a farmer who appreciated the land, and a man who found joy in the outdoors and in the people who became part of his life. The lessons he taught, the lives he influenced, and the memories he made will continue to live on in those who knew and loved him.