Joyce Whalen

09/16/2007

Joyce Whalen, 75, of Egrement Road died Sunday at Fairview Hospital. Born in Great Barrington on July 16, 1932, daughter of James and Gertrude Tower Wylie, she attended the former Bryant School and was a 1950 graduate of the former Searles High School, where she co-captained the basketball team to the Southern Berkshire championship her senior year. Mrs. Whalen was employed by the former Great Barrington Savings Bank for many years, beginning in 1950 as school banking officer. Following a hiatus to raise her children, she returned in 1977 as a teller. She was promoted to manager of the Sheffield branch in 1988 and retired in 1994. After her retirement, she worked several summers for the American Institute for Economic Research. She was a member of First Congregational Church and of the Thursday Morning Club, and an active member of the Searles High School Alumni Association, serving as treasurer and playing a central role in planning many alumni events. She enjoyed music, movies and gardening. She also spent recent winters in Venice, Fla. She and her husband, John Francis Whalen Sr., were married July 16, 1955, in Winter Park, Fla. Besides her husband, she leaves a daughter, Susan Frechette of Harvard; two sons, John Francis Whalen Jr. of Windham, Maine, and Thomas Whalen of Great Barrington; and three grandchildren. FUNERAL NOTICE -- The funeral for Joyce Wylie Whalen, who died Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007, will be conducted Friday at 11 a.m. at First Congregational Church in Great Barrington by the Rev. Charles Van Ausdall, pastor. Burial will follow in Mahaiwe Cemetery in Great Barrington. The family will receive friends Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at FINNERTY & STEVENS FUNERAL HOME, 426 Main St., Great Barrington. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Mahaiwe Theatre Restoration Fund or the Thursday Morning Scholarship Fund, both in care of the funeral home. Joyce enjoyed spending time with her grandsons, whom she adored, and maintained an extensive e-mail correspondence with her many lifelong friends. From the time she was a girl, she loved going to movies and concerts at the Mahaiwe, where she also had her first date with her future husband. She also leaves a son-in-law, Christopher Frechette; a daughter-in-law, Kim Harwood Whalen (Thomas); three grandchildren, Alec, Adam and Nicholas Whalen; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews; and two cousins. She was predeceased by her sister, Priscilla Wylie Booth. Remembrances, memories and reflections may be sent to the family through www.finnertyandstevens.com.

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