Obituary of William Patrick Whalen

William Patrick Whalen, 80, passed away peacefully on December 13, 2024 at the age of 80 surrounded by the love of his family.  He was born on March 2, 1944 and grew up in Hell’s Kitchen New York.  He was raised by his mother and loving step-father Freddy Guttilla.  When he was 24, Billy married the love of his life, Mary Whalen, and together they raised a family first in Woodside, Queens and then for 5 decades in Carle Place and Westbury, New York.  Billy was an ambitious and dedicated man who earned his GED, worked several jobs to support his family and eventually landed a job in the NY Stock Market where he thrived as a well respected man of trade until his retirement in 1999.  Those who know Billy know that he never truly retired and spent his later years managing many successful investments from the West End Cafe which he ran with his wife to Broadway Musicals to properties in Florida.  But the thing that brought Billy the most joy was his family and roles as Husband, Dad and Papu.  Billy is survived by his beloved wife Mary who was his partner in all things, by his side through thick and thin, and with whom he had celebrated 56 years of marriage this summer.  Billy is also survived by his two sons Michael Whalen, who has dedicated his life to the care and adoption of animals and Dave Whalen (Megan) a committed New York Public School teacher.  Watching his four grandchildren Kylee, Julia, Emily, and Ben blossom into independent and successful young adults gave beloved Papu such pride - nothing made his Irish eyes twinkle like a fishing story from Ben, an acting adventure from Kylee, an historical monologue from Julia, or a beautiful art sketch from Emily.  Billy cherished gardening and with his friends he enjoyed fishing, dining, and traveling.  Billy is also survived by his sister Eleanor Chianese, his Cousin Dennis Connors and many nieces and nephews. Visiting hours are Thursday, January 2 from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM at Weigand Brothers Funeral Home in Williston Park (49 Hillside Ave), Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday January 3 at 10:00 AM at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Carle Place (534 Broadway). 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for a donation to be made in the name of William Patrick Whalen to one of the following organizations:

St Jude’s https://www.stjude.org/give.html

or

Forgotten Friends of Long Island, Inc. 

PO Box 710

Plainview, NY 11803

https://forgottenfriendsoflongisland.org/