Earl F. Whitaker, 72, of Van Wert, passed away at 12:10 a.m., Saturday at the Van Wert Manor Nursing Home. He was born on November 11, 1944, in Hardin County, Ohio, the son of the late Beecher and Minnie (Dorn) Whitaker. He was also preceded in death by two brothers, Richard Whitaker and Joseph Whitaker and four sisters, Phyllis Joseph, Edith Gibson, Eulah Mae Kindle and Sandra Seals. Earl is survived by a daughter, Evelyna Lynn Whitaker of Van Wert; one brother, Beecher "Red" Whitaker of Franklin, Georgia; and a sister, Marie Coburn of Indiana. He was a Viet Nam Era veteran of the U.S. Army. There will be no services or visitation.