Richard Whitmer and daughter Gretchen (Governor's photo)
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's father Richard Whitmer, the former CEO of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan, died Monday night. He was 85.
"My beloved father passed away last night," Whitmer posted on Facebook. "He held a lot of impressive positions in his long life. He led major non-profits, sat on statewide boards, and served in the cabinet of one of my predecessors, Governor Milliken. But for me, he was just dad.
"He was the one who always saw my potential and believed in me, from the first speech I gave in fifth grade to my States of the State as governor. He was always there, whether in the back of the classroom or in the front row of the House Chamber, cheering me on. He was the one who picked me up when I was down or told me to get my act together when I screwed up. When my grades were slacking in high school, he inspired me to live up to my potential. Because of his encouragement, I did."
Whitmer earned a law degree from the University of Michigan in 1965 and entered private practice, according to the Western Michigan University alumni page. He served in various positions in state government before before joining Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan as senior vice president and general counsel in 1977.
Ten years later he was named CEO of Blue Cross. He retired from the health care giant in 2006.
Here's the full posting by Gov. Whitmer:
My beloved father passed away last night.
He held a lot of impressive positions in his long life. He led major non-profits, sat on statewide boards, and served in the cabinet of one of my predecessors, Governor Milliken. But for me, he was just dad.
He was the one who always saw my potential and believed in me, from the first speech I gave in fifth grade to my States of the State as governor. He was always there, whether in the back of the classroom or in the front row of the House Chamber, cheering me on.
He was the one who picked me up when I was down or told me to get my act together when I screwed up. When my grades were slacking in high school, he inspired me to live up to my potential. Because of his encouragement, I did.
He was the one who suggested I consider public service. As a student at MSU who dreamt of a life in sports broadcasting, he was the one who told me to check out an internship at the capital to see how state government really worked. I haven’t looked back since.
My siblings and I have a ton of beautiful memories and hilarious stories about our dad. And I was thrilled that my girls got to make their own memories with him too. I got to see my dad become a proud, doting grandfather. He was always quick to laugh, happy to offer advice, and proud most of all that his children and grandchildren had grown up with those fundamental Michigan values of kindness, respect, and humor that he taught us and lived up to every day of his life.
He was my best friend, most trusted counselor, and next-door neighbor until I moved into the Governor’s Residence. I would not be where I am and who I am without my dad. Today, I’m sad, but I’m grateful too. I’m grateful for the time we got to spend together, for the things he taught me, and the stories I’ll carry with me forever.
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