Stephen Whalen

Stephen Hugh Whalen, 92, of Great Falls passed away Thursday, December 12, 2013 at Benefis Hospital. Memorial services will be held Saturday, December 21, 2013 at 11:30 am, at St. Ann’s Cathedral. O’Connor Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Stephen Hugh Whalen, son of James and Maysie (Sinnott) Whalen, was born January 7, 1921 near Stephen, Minnesota. Growing up, he and his seven siblings helped on the family farm. Stephen’s early education was in a one-room schoolhouse and in 1939 he graduated from Stephen High School, where he sang in the chorus and played “Huck Finn” in the senior play. In 1941 Stephen got a job with the Great Northern Railroad in Montana, repairing tracks for 40 cents an hour. His uncle Walter Sinnott got him a better job in Signal Construction, at 57 cents! Stephen’s life changed upon being drafted into the U.S. Army in August 1942. After Medical Corps basic training in Tennessee and North Carolina, he traveled west across the U.S. and the Pacific and Indian Oceans, crossed the Equator, landed briefly at New Zealand, Australia, and India, and served two years in Iran. He later served in Germany, Belgium, and France, where he and his brother Mark had a joyful reunion. Finally on December 4, 1945, Stephen sailed from Le Havre, France, across the Atlantic to New York. He was honorably discharged and returned home in time for Christmas. Stephen returned to his pre-war job in Montana with Great Northern Railroad with pay and seniority credit for his years of military service. For 35 years, he advanced in the Signal Department assuming more responsibility over additional miles of track. In 1982 Stephen retired in Great Falls, reading at the library and driving a 1969 Dodge Coronet. On his Amtrak pass, he often visited his siblings in California, Minnesota, and Maryland. Stephen was an active member of the Knights of Columbus and St. Ann’s Parish. He enjoyed hiking, fishing and hunting with his friends, the Eve brothers. He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Frances (Bernard) Crummy of Argyle, MN, and his brothers: Mark, Danny (Doris) Whalen of Havre, and Dr. Phillip Whalen of Glen Ellyn, IL, and his brother-in-law Keith Thayer of Hanford, CA. Stephen is survived by his sister, Bette Thayer, brothers Charles (Paty) Whalen of Montgomery Village, MD, and John (Ferne) Whalen, and friends, Phil (Lonnie) and Jean (Mary Ellen) Eve. Stephen’s many nieces and nephews remember him fondly as a kind uncle who enjoyed cards, did a great chimp imitation, and could fix anything.