Jerome Whalen

Jerome 'Joe' Whalen age 72 of New Hampton died Tuesday, November 18, 2014, at the Muse-Norris Hospice in Mason City. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:30 a.m. Monday, November 24, 2014, at Holy Family Parish, New Hampton with Rev. Mark Osterhaus celebrating the Mass. The pall will be placed on the casket by his wife, Laurine, children, Troy and Shelly, grandson Taylor Whalen, and granddaughters, Jennifer and Catherine Howe. The offertory gifts will be presented by Jane and Gene Lynch and Darlene Franzen. Pallbearers are Taylor Whalen, Neal Franzen, Tony Franzen, Jeremy Whalen, Erin Freeberg, Nicole Pooke, Angie Grimm and Sean Whalen. Friends may greet the family 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Sunday, November 23, 2014, at the Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home in New Hampton where there will be a 4:00 p.m. rosary and a 5:00 p.m. parish scripture service. Visitation continues an hour prior to the Mass at the church on Monday. Jerome “Joe” Joseph Whalen was born January 26, 1942, in Los Angeles, CA, the son of Jerome W. and Margaret (Whittenburg) Whalen. He was a graduate of New Hampton High School in 1960. At a St. Patrick’s Day dance in Lawler, IA, he met Laurine Tilkes of North Washington and the couple were married on April 24, 1965 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in North Washington. To this union two children were born. Joe initially worked at Firestone Tire Service in New Hampton. Later on he was employed at Hydro-tile in Nashua and the former R & D Manufacturing for many years. In 1990, he started his own business, Omega Machine & Tool, which he later sold in 2009. Joe was known for his mechanical ability, his wealth of knowledge, and his love of cars. He loved spending time with his family and learning new things. He will be missed by his family for his great sense of humor and for being the kind of man who took pride in caring for his family. Survivors include his wife, Laurine Whalen; son, Troy (Jeannie) Whalen of Elmhurst, IL; daughter, Shelly Whalen and friend Gary Papenheim of Waterloo; four grandchildren, Taylor Whalen, Kathleen S. Revivo, Catherine Howe and Jennifer Howe; one great-granddaughter, Sara Rebecca Revivo; two brothers, Bruce (Sandy) Whalen of Hampton, IA; Denny (Jane) Whalen of Indianola, IA. He was preceded in death by his parents.