Arizona man claims he fathered 54 children: family members
When Samuel Delbert Whitney died, his family said he’d claimed to have had dozens of children with different women. Stepdaughter Lexie Woods is trying to bring the large brood together.
BY CAROL KURUVILLA / NEW YORK DAILY NEWSTUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2013, 7:53 PM
 COURTESY WHITNEY FAMILYSamuel Whitney, 87, recently died and it is believed that he had 54 children. His children are now looking for clues about their siblings.
A Phoenix, Ariz. man who died at the age of 87 had no problem leaving a legacy.
Samuel Delbert Whitney claimed to have fathered 54 children during his long and busy life — including a daughter he reportedly had when he was 74 years old.
After Whitney’s death in July, stepdaughter Lexie Woods discovered bottles of 100 milligram Viagra — the highest possible dosage — and a pile of birth certificates in Whitney’s apartment. The 68-year-old has made it her goal to help Whitney’s biological children bring the large brood together. But Whitney had always been a quiet person who didn’t want to talk about how, when, or why he sowed his wild oats.
“What we want to do is find these children and let them know that they have a family that loves them and wants to know them,” Woods told the Daily News.
 AZ FAMILY.COM 3TV NEWSLexie Woods wants to reunite the entire Whitney brood. 'We just want to know where they are,' she said.
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Throughout the 17 years that her stepdad lived with her mom, Woods said that he never talked about the children he had with other women. It wasn’t until years later, after her mom got a divorce, that Woods learned about Whitney’s second life.
“He was a likable man, a ladies’ man,” Woods said. “And women just flocked to him, mostly younger women.”
Whitney owned a wrecking yard and a few bars. Woods said he was also involved in some illegal practices and ran afoul of the law a couple of times.
 COURTESY WHITNEY FAMILYLexie Wood said she’d asked her stepdad about his other children. She wanted to be introduced to them. He never followed through.
She speculates that this might be how her stepdad found his women.
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“Women flock to men that are doing illegal things,” Woods said. “They think you have money, or maybe they were on drugs.”
During one court appearance, Woods said that her dad claimed to have fathered 42 children. But after talking to his neighbors, Woods said that the number could be as high as 54.
 AZ FAMILY.COM 3TV NEWS'My dad was a wild man,' Marilyn Whitney told AZ Family.
Woods now has custody of Whitney’s 13-year-old daughter. She knows about at least five of his natural-born children, but doesn’t know how many more there are.
“I wanted to be introduced to them, but he never did it,” Woods said.
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Woods posted up fliers announcing her stepdad’s memorial service in Phoenix, AZ Family reports. The ceremony was set for Aug. 25, but no new Whitneys showed up.
 AZ FAMILY.COM 3TV NEWSSandra Whitney, 69, is the man’s oldest biological daughter.
Despite his shortcomings, Woods said that she really loved her stepdad.
Woods was 3 years old when Whitney came into her life. Her mother was struggling to make ends meet as a cotton picker in Arizona, but Whitney gave them a house to live in and food to eat.
“I have a father who is still living, but he did not take care of me,” Woods said. “This man took care of me.” |
