John Joseph "Snooch" Whalen, Jr.

John Joseph "Snooch" Whalen Jr. 08/12/38 – 12/16/20

John Joseph “Snooch” Whalen Jr. of Sanford passed away Dec. 16th after a valiant battle with heart disease and other issues. John was born in Clairton, PA in Allegheny County to Anna Mary Ramsden Whalen and John Joseph Whalen Sr. He grew up in Scottdale, PA. He ran the mile for the Scottdale Scotties in high school, class of 1956. His coach was Bud Carson, who played football for UNC and was head coach for the Cleveland Browns. He attended Penn State University. He lived in Connellsville, PA where he worked for Pittsburgh Sheet Metal.  He was active in the Knights of Columbus. He moved to NC in 1978.

John worked as a manager for Moore’s Building Supply in Durham and Greensboro, and later worked in sales for Noland Plumbing Company in Raleigh and Hughes Supply in Pinehurst and Sanford. He retired in 2014 from Greensboro Plumbing Company.

John was an avid sports fan. His favorite teams were the NY Yankees, Notre Dame, the Green Bay Packers and the Boston Celtics. He loved attending Durham Bulls Games. He loved fishing and reading his bible, David Jeremiah, Robert B. Parker and many western novels. He had a beautiful Irish tenor singing voice.

He was a devoted husband, father of 10 and grandfather.  He was active as a member of Spring Lane Assembly, serving on the Deacon board and working with Men’s ministry.

He is survived by his wife Nancy Jane King Whalen; daughter Kathleen (Joe) Gearing of Latrobe, PA; son John III of Henderson, NV; son Steven Whalen of Connellsville, PA; son Michael Whalen of Raleigh, NC; son Eric (Kimberly) Whalen of Jeannette, PA; daughter Liane (Peter) Whalen-Chang of Burke, VA; son David Whalen of Connellsville, PA; daughter Sandra (Chris) Walker of Hope Mills, NC; daughter Melanie (Mike) Rua of Smithfield, PA, and daughter Kelsey (Kyle) Crowley of Sanford, NC, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.

He is also survived by his brother Danny Whalen of East Brady, PA; sister Joanne (Bob) Horn of Homosassa, FL; sister Jeanne (Jack) Kruger of The Villages, FL; sister Kathleen (Mike) Reilly of Nags Head, NC; sister Mary Lou (Rick) Jackson of Ephrata, PA; and sister Cindy Jennings of Glen Allen, VA. He has two surviving uncles: George Ramsden of Millersville, PA and Danny Whalen of Lake Worth, FL. He was preceded in death by his parents, an older brother who died in infancy, and his brother Tommy Calabrese of Latrobe, PA.

He had great faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we take comfort in knowing that he is home in heaven. Due to COVID safety concerns, a memorial celebration will be deferred until later in 2021. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in John’s memory to Spring Lane Assembly in Sanford. NC.

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