Stephen C Whalen

Lancaster, PA, with his wife, Keiko (Tsukamoto) Whalen, at his side. Born on December 24,1940 to Stephen and Margaret Whalen in St. Paul, Minnesota, Steve was:

❖ older brother to three younger siblings: sisters Mary Margaret and Darby Patricia, and brother James (Jim) Patrick.

❖ an altar boy at St. Therese Catholic Church and School. He graduated from Cretin High School, then attended the College of St. Thomas for two years, where he spent a majority of his time in the library, at times when he should have been in classes.

❖ a veteran of the US Forces. In 1961, he left college early to join the Air Force. He dreamt of being a pilot, but when poor eyesight made him ineligible for flight training, he became an Air Force photographer instead. Steve was stationed in Greenland, among other places.

❖ a Northwest Airlines flight attendant from 1966-1978, serving on routes between Seattle and Asia. It was during this time that he met his future bride, Keiko.

❖ husband to Keiko. Married on September 1, 1971 by a judge in Seattle, WA, the couple honored their families with two additional wedding ceremonies; one in Tokyo, Japan in 1972, and another in St. Paul, MN a year later.

❖ father to Maria, Steve and Keiko’s only child, and grandfather to Owen, Lucia, and Jonas, children of Maria and her husband, Jeremy Chase.

❖ a member of Faith Bible Church (FBC), an Asian-American fellowship in Seattle, WA that became Steve and Keiko’s second family. While he had many jobs throughout his life, one of Steve’s favorites was serving as the Facilities Manager at FBC. He also later served at Calvin Presbyterian Church in Shoreline, WA.

❖ an avid reader, lover of history, road trip enthusiast and collector of pamphlets, especially about new places. Steve was an easy conversationalist, curious about people and the world around him.

❖ a fairly new resident of Lancaster, PA. When his health began to decline, Steve, Keiko and the Chase family moved to Lancaster to live together. He called it his final adventure, and would often murmur, “Wow!” while cresting hills on their frequent exploratory drives.

Steve was preceded in death by his parents and sister-in-law Eileen (married to Jim Whalen), and survived by siblings Mary (married to Bill) Jechorek, Darby (married to Bob) Butorac, and Jim Whalen; wife Keiko; daughter Maria and son-in-law Jeremy Chase; and grandchildren Owen, Lucia and Jonas Chase. A small gathering for family and friends will be held in Lancaster, PA, after which his ashes will be interred in Seattle, WA. A memorial service is to be held at a later date.