Big Stone Gap, VA – Ella Mae Whiteaker, 84, passed away on Friday, October 16, 2026 at her home. She was born in Cumberland, KY on August 10, 1942 and lived most of her life in the Hamner Hollow Community of Big Stone Gap. She worked for over 30 years as the office manager for Dr. Manoharan. She loved shopping and she loved her grandchildren. She was of the Baptist faith. Ella Mae was a loving wife, mother, grandmother, daughter and sister.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles Edward Whiteaker, Jr.; her parents, Denver Gilliam and Ruth (Lay) Jackson; three brothers and two sisters.
Ella Mae is survived by her children, Tammy McDaries (Ricky) of Big Stone Gap, VA, Ella Edwards (Jeff) of Spruce Pine, NC and Renee Giles (Michael) of Dallas, TX; grandchildren, Jennifer Mayes (Alex), England and Olivia Bray, and Dakota Trammell; great-grandchildren, Katherine Horton and Stormy Trammell; several nieces, nephews and cousins, and a special niece, Betty Jo Sturgill of Cumberland, KY.
Final arrangements will be private.
Gilliam Funeral Home and Crematory is honored to serve the family of Ella Mae Whiteaker.
To view the obituary online and offer condolences, visit www.gilliamfuneralhome.com or the funeral home Facebook page.