116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Whalen, Jean Marie
Jean Marie Whalen, 89, formerly of Cedar Rapids, succumbed to congestive heart failure on Friday, July 2, 2010, at her home in Solon, Ohio. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Anamosa. The Rev. David Ambrosy will officiate at the service. Friends may call from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Goettsch Funeral Home, Anamosa, with an 8 p.m. Scripture service Thursday at the funeral home. Internment will be at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Anamosa.
Thoughts, memories and condolences may be left at
Surviving are her children, Patricia A. Whalen, T. Kevin Whalen and William B. Whalen; 11 grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, John M. Whalen in 1991; and two sons, Jon K. Whalen in 1996, and Michael D. Whalen in 1985.
Jean was born on March 24, 1921, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she lived for 41 years. She was the daughter of Florence and Benjamin Knight. She was a 1939 graduate of Franklin High School. She attended Coe College for two years and received her BA from the University of Iowa in Art and Chemistry in 1943. She attended Northwestern University Medical School completing
Medical Technologist training in 1944. She registered with the American Society of Clinical Pathologists as a medical technologist. She pledged with the Alpha Xi Delta Sorority in 1939. On March 25, 1944, Jean and John M. Whalen, of Anamosa, were united in marriage in Abilene, Texas. Jean helped organize the P.E.O. Chapter LI in Cedar Rapids in 1960. She continued to be an active member of the P.E.O. belonging to the CQ Chapter in Chargrin Falls, Ohio. She moved to Dallas, Texas, in 1962, when her husband was transferred with Collins Radio. The couple lived in Texas until 1972, when they moved to Solon, Ohio. Jean was interested in art, flowers and was an avid painter. She was a member of The Church of Resurrection in Solon, Ohio.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Coe College, “Coe Fund,” Alpha Xi Delta Foundation and The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Fund.
Daily Newsletters