Nicholas Whalen

Nicholas John Whalen Jr. (Nick) was born January 10th, 1937 and grew up in Manhattan, New York, the eldest son of Nicholas Sr. and Ann Whalen (nee Gorman). He passed away after a long battle with illness in Lancaster, California. His battles over, he now rests in Christ's kingdom.

Nick met Carol Hinnigan while growing up in New York, and they were married on May 25th, 1957, while he was serving in the Air Force. They remained together for more than 63 years until Carol's passing in 2021. Nick was the father to 8 children ("Stupid Irish" as our mother Carol would frequently say): Thomas, Kathleen, Brian, Eileen (Hasting), John, James, Andrew, and Gregory.

Nick was preceeded in death by his parents, his brother Kevin, his brother Michael, his son James, his daughter Kathleen, and his beloved wife Carol. He is survived by his children; Thomas, Brian, Eileen, John, Andrew, Gregory; scores of grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, with more still on the way.

Nick moved around the world while he was in the USAF, where he served honorably for 25 years, achieving the rank of MSgt. During his military career he served as a Weather Observer, Security Police, and fought in the Vietnam War. After retiring from USAF he lived in Rosamond, California for over 40 years. Post-military Nick held a number of jobs. He was a Kern County Reserve Deputy involved with their Search and Rescue Unit, a car salesman, an insurance claims investigator, he worked at NASA, and was the Security Director for CSC, before finally retiring for good.

Nick was also active in the Catholic Church. He was a Knight of Columbus, served at various times as a Eucharistic Minister, Choir singer, Religious Education Instructor, and Parish Administrator for St. Mary of the Desert Church in Rosamond. He was presented with a Benemerenti Medal from Pope John Paul II for his lifetime of service to the Catholic Church.

For all those accomplishments, Nick's greatest achievement was being a father/grandfather/great-grandfather. He will forever be remembered as the beloved patriarch to 3 generations of the Whalen clan.

His funeral services will be on Friday, March 17th, 2023:
- 9 am Rosary at St. Mary of the Desert Catholic Church (3100 15th Street West, Rosamond, CA 93560).
- 10 am funeral Mass also at St. Mary of the Desert Catholic Church.
- 11:45 am graveside service at Good Shepherd Cemetery (43121 70th Street West, Lancaster, CA 93536).
For the graveside service, please bring your own chair if you require one.