Bob and Mary Whalen
Robert, who went by Bob, was born in 1926, and raised in Coupeville, here on Whidbey Island. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and was a veteran of both WWII and the Korean War (also known as the "forgotten war"). We wish we knew more about his service achievements, but he rarely spoke of his experiences, and when he did, he was very vague. We do know that he was a member of the 101st Airborne (the "Screaming Eagles").
After he returned home from the wars, he began his career with United Airlines in Denver, Colorado as a Passenger Service Agent. His career took him from Denver to San Francisco, and then on to Portland, Oregon where he retired as a Ramp and Cargo Supervisor after 35 years with the company.
Bob enjoyed the outdoors, and he especially enjoyed hunting. He dabbled with deer and elk hunting, but his passion was hunting game birds (goose, duck, pheasant, dove, and quail). He was so good with his shotgun that we called him "Dead Eye Dick," because he rarely ever missed his target. His other passion was his hunting dogs. He raised and trained his own hunting dogs, and they were his buddies, best friends, and beloved members of our family. Second only to hunting was farming. Raising horses, cattle, pigs, and sheep brought him a great deal of joy and happiness. For 33 years he made ends meet by cutting, raking, and baling hay for not only himself, but the community as well. A lesser hobby, but one he enjoyed none the less, was roping. It was not his claim to fame, but he had a lot of fun giving it his best shot. In 2009, Bob passed away at the age of 83 from a pulmonary embolism following back surgery.
Mary was born in Pasadena, California in 1933, and was raised in Alhambra, California. She was the oldest of four. After graduating from high school, she moved to Denver, Colorado and worked for a telephone company. Two years later she completed the training and became a stewardess for United Airlines, where she served passengers on United's DC-8 aircraft. It was at the Denver Stapleton Airport that she met the love of her life. Six months later, on June 14, 1958, she married Bob Whalen in Pasadena, California. In 1959 they became parents. Mary worked a few part-time jobs over her life, but her focus was her family. She and Bob had three children, two daughters and a son. Her hobbies included gardening, sewing, water color and oil painting, camping, hunting with Bob, and trail riding. She also really enjoyed dogs, almost to the same degree that Bob did. She had the privilege of spoiling many a dog over her 90 years of life. Mary was a kind and gentle soul, very giving, a loving and supportive wife and mother, adventurous, and yet a tough survivor of life's challenges. In 2024, five days before her 91st birthday, she passed away from cancer.
We chose to reunite them on their anniversary, June 14, 2024, so they could continue their journey together.
The world Bob knew
Family milestones in gold, history for context
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