Barbara Gleason Whalen

Barbara Whalen died peacefully in her sleep on March 14, 2026, at her home at Grand Oaks Assisted Living in Washington, DC. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband of 53 years, Congressman Charles “Chuck” Whalen; her son, Joseph Whalen; and her brother, Frank Gleason, Jr. She was the daughter of the late Frank and Norma Gleason of Sidney, Ohio.

Just shy of her 98th birthday, Barbara raised six children and lived for many years in Dayton, Ohio, and Bethesda, Maryland. She is survived by five children: Charles “Chip” Whalen (Ines Mbaga) of Delray Beach, FL; Daniel Whalen (Molly) of Washington, DC; Edward “Ted” Whalen of Reston, VA; Anne Whalen McLindon of Mason, OH and Mary Whalen Scherer (Andy) of Brambleton, VA. She is also survived by seven grandchildren who adored their “Grammy”: Robert and Catherine Whalen; Drew, Luke, and Colin Scherer; and Grace and Maggie McLindon.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Barbara moved with her family to Sidney, Ohio, where her father, Frank Gleason Sr., led the Copeland Refrigeration Company. A graduate of Marymount College, she worked in advertising and later in the marketing department at WHIO radio and television in Dayton, where she proudly served as the voice of Elsie the Cow.

She met her future husband, Charles “Chuck” Whalen, then an Ohio State Senator and Professor of Economics at the University of Dayton, who later served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Ohio’s 3rd District (Dayton). She compiled The Barbara Whalen Cookbook, an ingenious piece of campaign literature that became a beloved and highly effective tool in her husband’s Congressional campaigns. Together with her husband they authored two books “The Longest Debate: A Legislative History of the 1964 Civil Rights Act", and "The Fighting McCooks – America's Famous Fighting Family”. They built their family home in Bethesda, Maryland, where they lived for many decades.

Barbara will be remembered for her sociability and kindness to all who knew her. A gracious hostess, she made everyone she met feel welcome with her warmth and hospitality. A longtime member and former president of the Westmoreland Garden Club, her garden was a constant source of pride and joy and was beloved by neighbors and friends alike. This lifelong passion led her to become a garden docent at The Hillwood Estate Museum and Gardens.

A committed woman of faith, she was a longtime parishioner of Church of the Little Flower Catholic parish in Bethesda where she served as a lector.

She was deeply loved and will be forever missed.

A Catholic Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, March 27 at 10:00 am at Church of the Little Flower. The family will greet friends at the church beginning at 9:00 am prior to the Mass. Burial will take place on Monday morning, March 30 at Calvary Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio.