In Memory of Kotei Whitmore(1993 - 2015)

Kotei Ezekiel Whitmore was born on February 27, 1993 in Amsterdam, Holland. His parents are Ken and Masako Whitmore, who have been pioneers for 21 years in Holland and Uruguay and married for 33 years. His mother Masako is one of the 43 Japanese sisters chosen to work in the Kodiak providence for 7 years.

Kotei is the second oldest out of 6 children. His personality is so special. Whenever people talk about Kotei, they always seem to do so with a smile on their face. Since he was a little boy, he was able to make everyone laugh and have a good time. He is simple, kind, sympathetic, gentle, playful, goofy, and incredibly stubborn. Some of his fondest memories go back to his times in Uruguay, where he lived since he was 5 years old and until he was 18. Even though he didn’t speak Spanish when he first moved to Uruguay, he quickly made many close friends who just loved being around him. He loved playing soccer and video games with friends and family, the Uruguayan barbecues, the tranquility of the ocean, and enjoying the simple things in life.

When Kotei moved to Bridgeport in 2012, he brought his magnetic personality with him, and quickly found himself surrounded by many amazing friends. Even as an adult, he still enjoyed the simple things like spending time with his friends. He also contributed to his community by volunteering in the local youth ministry, being an older brother to the kids that participated.

Kotei’s life was cut short, but his legacy will live forever. Besides being incredibly gentle, Kotei is amazingly strong. He has been fighting lymphoma for over a year, and a large part of that time we didn’t even know. He never wanted to concern others, so he took the pain in, making it seem like everything was alright, and carried forward. Even during the most difficult time of his illness, he never stopped being himself, and even the nurses and doctors that took care of him fell in love with him. This is the kind of person he was, and is. It is difficult to put into words the pain he had to go through, and more difficult to make sense of why he passed so early. But all we know is that Kotei left a legacy of joy, simplicity, and persistence.

Seonghwa Services

Seonghwa Ceremony
The ceremony will take place on Sunday, March 29, at 2:30 p.m.
Lester Gee Funeral Home, 1390 Fairfield Ave. Bridgeport, CT 06605

Won Jeon Ceremony
Kotei’s Won Jeon Ceremony will be held on Monday, March 30, at 11 a.m. at Red Hook Won Jeon near UTS, New York 9G, Tivoli, NY 12583
A 2-hour drive from the Seonghwa ceremony site to the Won Jeon Ceremony site will take place Monday morning.
As a tradition to prepare the way to Red Hook, Holy Salt will be sprinkled to purify the path all the way to the ceremony site.

Donate to the Fundraiser for Kotei