BRISTOL, Rhode Island — May 21, 2025 — Duncan Whitehead, 82, died unexpectedly on May 21 at the Rhode Island Hospital with his loving wife, Margaret, by his side.
Born on June 25, 1942, in Yorkshire, England, Whitehead was the son of John and Marie Whitehead. Whitehead and his family moved to the United States in 1983, and he had been a resident of Rhode Island since 1990. Whitehead and his wife both became American Citizens in 2000. He will be remembered for his humor, his intelligence, an incredibly wide variety of interests and a longstanding dedication to the textile industry.
He was an executive at Quaker Fabric Corp. — at one time one of the world’s largest producers of upholstery fabrics and one of the largest employers in Fall River, Mass. He began his career in 1965 at Celanese in Canada, followed by a 12 year period at Grupo Pliana in Mexico and was a co-founder of Nortex in Philadelphia and North Carolina. After the closure of Quaker in 2007 he continued to work as a consultant to a large number of domestic and international textile companies. He was recognized as one of the leading experts in textile technology and business by his peers across the industry and around the world.
Whitehead was a Chemical Engineering graduate of Edinburgh University in Scotland. He continued to pursue learning throughout his life, and besides the textile business, was interested in politics, climate change, current affairs, sailing and cooking. He traveled extensively across the world throughout his life, both on business and for personal enjoyment.
Besides his wife, to whom he was devoted for more than 65 years, he leaves behind three sons and a daughter: Jonathan of London, Nicholas of Madison, N.J., Chris of Philadelphia, and Stephanie of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, as well as 7 grandchildren. He is survived by his younger sister, Janet.
A private memorial service will be held at Blithewold in Bristol, R.I.
Posted: May 27, 2025
Source: Jonathan Whitehead
