Joseph F. Whalen

Joseph F. Whalen, 80, Easton, MA, formerly of Sharon.

We lost a good one. Born in Boston on May 9, 1945, “The day after VE Day” as Joe would tell everyone. The celebrations were big on that day and thereafter, and in that spirit, Joe always enjoyed a good celebration. Born to Caroline (Sharkey) and Joseph Whalen, and younger brother to his loving sisters Caroline and Jacqueline, Joe was raised in Mission Hill, then in Forest Hills, Jamaica Plain. It was in JP where Joe had a ball playing with friends at the fields in nearby Parkman Playground. His upbringing was nothing short of wonderful, running around with the neighborhood kids and enjoying boundless love from his family.

As a teenager, Joe moved with his family to Dedham, where they continued to build beautiful memories. Joe’s early life included endless baseball games, both in childhood and as a pitcher for the Boston Latin team and in the Park League. It was in the Park League where he pitched a no-hitter that his own dad was able to see as he happened to leave work early that special day. It is no surprise that Joe was a lifelong Red Sox fan. They made his dreams come true in 2004 (and again in 2007, 2013, and 2018)!

Joe attended Mission Grammar School, St. Andrew’s Grammar School, and Boston Latin High School. He had a brief few semesters at Boston College, but we’ll just skim over that. Joe eventually landed at Boston State College, where, in one of his first classes, serendipity! Joe was seated next to the lovely Mary Jean Yankauskas. (The professor insisted on alphabetical seating.) Joe spied Jean a few years earlier when she was a waitress at Friendly’s and it was love at first sight - Jean was not aware of this. It was fortunate Joe’s BC education did not pan out, as not only did Joe connect with Jean - the love of his life- at Boston State, but there he also made lifelong friends. These friends got up to shenanigans over the years, and the stories are too numerous to put in print. Some may also have legal implications.

Joe dated, then married Jean in 1972, after graduating college and serving as a combat soldier in the Vietnam War. Life as newlyweds started in Hyde Park, then on to Sharon where Joe and Jean settled. Joe worked in sales for New England Telephone, (more shenanigans happened there) and then, after attending Suffolk Law School, worked as a contract lawyer for telecommunications companies for many years, including Nortel and Computer Corporation of America.  He was a longtime member of the Sharon Men's Club.

Joe and Jean had two children, Jen Carney (of Easton) and Susan Falcon (of Mansfield). Joe was a fun, involved, and loving dad and husband. He always made time for family, and spent endless hours playing basketball, ping pong, and bumper pool with his kids. Life in bucolic Sharon, Massachusetts was good - December always brought big Christmas parties where music rolled off the player piano. Summers were always dotted with family trips to Duxbury Beach and Newfound Lake in NH. Joe was a light in his family’s life and his generous spirit lives on with the legacy of his children.

A true light in Joe’s life were his five grandchildren: Addy, Declan, Bennett, Cooper, and Sloane. Joe loved playing with them, caring for them, watching their sports and band competitions, and spending all the time he could with them. In recent years, many family memories were made with the grandkids up in Bethel, Maine where Joe stands as an honorary graduate of the local Telstar High School. In Bethel, Joe rafted and kayaked down the Androscoggin River, hiked Step Falls, ate good food, enjoyed Highland Lake and the drive in movie theatre in Bridgton, boated on Sebago, lunched on Frye Island, took Jeep rides, bowled, and played many games of Monopoly (and Candyland, and anything else the grandkids wanted).

Joe lived a full life from beginning to end. He attributes this to marrying Jean, and having incredible family and friends. Joe’s positive attitude, optimism, toughness, and resilience carried him in the face of illness. We are so grateful to Dr. Kournioti and the wonderful nurses at the Cancer Center at Newton-Wellesley Hospital for their expertise, compassion, and medical care. We are thankful for the past 6 years, as Joe outlasted and outlived a much shorter prognosis. He will be missed by so many loved ones.

Visiting Hours will be held in the Farley Funeral Home, 358 Park St., (Rte. 27) Stoughton on Thursday, November 6 from 4-7 PM. Funeral Prayers will be offered in the funeral home on Friday, November 7 at 11 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Joe’s name are welcome. Please consider The Mass General Cancer Center at MGH Development Office, Attn: Jocelyn Meter, 125 Nashua St. Suite 540 Boston, MA 02114 or The Jimmy Fund at jimmyfund.org.