John Richard Whalen

John “Jack” Whalen passed away peacefully on June 22nd, 2016. Jack was born in New York, NY on January 15th, 1933. He served five years in the U.S. Army with the 1st Calvary Division and saw combat during the Korean War. Following his military service, he returned to New York where he met his loving wife, Alicia Foulk, of 58-years, and raised their two children. Jack worked for over 30-years as an installer for Western Electric in New York City. He worked extremely hard to provide for his family, and was known to never turn down overtime which gave him the opportunity to retire at an early age. After Jack and his wife relocated to San Diego in 1990 to be closer to their children, he worked part-time for Enterprise Rental Cars for over ten years. Jack had a passion for adventurous travel and activities – two of his most memorable activities being – rafting down the Amazon River and skydiving on his 80th birthday. He also loved horse racing and was fortunate to witness Secretariat win the Triple Crown in 1973 at the Belmont racetrack in New York with his family by his side. He often shared his love and knowledge of the stock market and classic movies with his grandchildren. Jack was kind-hearted, well-loved by all, and will be greatly missed. He is survived by his loving wife, Alicia; his son, Gregory (Shirley), his daughter, Donna-Lee (Steve), four beloved grandchildren; siblings; Richard Whalen and Carol Welch – both from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a host of longtime friends. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in his memory to Sharp HospiceCare, 5788 Lyden Way, San Diego, CA 92120. Our family would like to extend our thanks to the staff at Sharp HospiceCare for the excellent care and compassion that they provided Jack in his final days. As per his wishes, there will be no funeral services. A private Military Funeral Service will be held in his honor at The Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego.