Sharon native was active in Irish Club, LL, softball
MAYFIELD
VILLAGE, Ohio -- Joseph Patrick Whalen, 6180 Wilson Mills Road,
Mayfield Village, died Tuesday (2-20-01) in Hillcrest Hospital of
complications after a four-month illness. He was 78.
Mr. Whalen was born Feb. 20, 1923 in Sharon to Joseph and Hazel King Whalen, the oldest of 10 children.
The
1941 Sharon High School alumnus served during World War II from 1941 to
1945 in the Naval Forces. He engaged in major battles in the Pacific
including the Philippines, Guam, and the final battle of Okinawa.
Mr.
Whalen was captain from 1947 to 1948 of Southward Softball Team.
He worked for Sharon Transformer Division of Westinghouse
Electric Corp.
Mr. Whalen moved to Cleveland in 1947 and
attended electronics school to become a television repairman. He was an
independent television repair serviceman in the Hillcrest (Ohio) area
for more than 50 years.
Mr. Whalen was an active member and
grand master of ceremonies for the Irish Club of Cleveland; and
belonged to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7537, Lyndhurst.
He was one of the founding fathers of the St. Francis of Assisi Church, Gates Mills, Ohio.
Mr.
Whalen also helped form a Little League and build playing fields in the
Hillcrest area. He was a past president and a founder of the Holy Name
Softball League, which later became the Hillcrest Softball League. He
managed and played on many championship teams with nearly a thousand
victories to his credit.
Mr. Whalen marched in more than 50 St.
Patrick's Day parades, marching with various groups from the West Side
Irish Club, and was a founding member of the East Side Irish Club.
Surviving
are: two daughters, Sandy Polz, Chagrin Falls, Ohio; and Kathleen
Marascio, New Brunswick, N.J.; two sons, Dennis Whalen, Northport,
Fla.; and Joseph Whalen, Mayfield; two sisters, Anna Mae Munson,
Farrell; and Mary Ellen Helinski, Parma, Ohio; six grandchildren; one
great-grandchild; and a former wife, Yolanda Whalen, Northport.
His
parents preceded him in death along with five brothers, Johnny, Robert,
James and infants Harold and Billy Whalen; and a sister, Agnes Eileen
Whalen, all of whom lived in Sharon.
His brother, Patrick James Whalen, died Wednesday, a day after Joseph.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 19 Jefferson Avenue, Sharon 16146.
WHALEN
Joseph Patrick, 78, 6180 Wilson Mills Road, Mayfield Village, Ohio.
Calling hours: 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. today (2-23-01) in DICICCO FUNERAL HOME, 5975 Mayfield Road, Cleveland.
Service: Mass of Christian burial at 9:30 a.m. Saturday (2-24-01) in
St. Francis of Assisi Church, 5850 Mayfield Road, Gates Mills, Ohio.
Burial: Knollwood Cemetery, Mayfield Heights, Ohio
The Herald, Sharon PA, February 22, 2001.
Submitted by Terence Whalen
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