Ronald James Whalen

Ronald James Whalen, 89, Bloomington-Normal, IL (previously of Brandon, FL) passed away on August 10, 2023, two days after his 89th birthday.

His funeral will be at 10:30a.m. on Friday August 18th at Epiphany Catholic Church, Normal, IL. A visitation will be held from 4:00p.m. to 6:00p.m. on Thursday August 17th at East Lawn Funeral Home, 1102 Airport Road, Bloomington, IL. A grave-side burial service will be held at 11a.m. on Wednesday August 23rd at Hillsboro Memorial Gardens, Brandon FL.

Ron was born and raised in Bloomington and worked tirelessly as a bricklayer. He was recognized as a skilled craftsman in the Bloomington-Normal area and took great pride pointing out the many homes and businesses he helped construct. He was a graduate of Trinity (now Central Catholic) High School class of 1952 and proudly served our Nation as a member of the U.S. Army including service in Korea. He and his wife of 53 years, Lucy Whalen (Miller of Wenona), realized a dream and moved to Florida in 1979 where he continued his career as a bricklayer before transitioning to the neighborhood grocery store, Winn-Dixie, where he received multiple employee recognition awards and was a favorite of many customers. He enjoyed watching the Bears and was a big NFL and NASCAR fan. Ron returned “home” to Bloomington-Normal in 2013 and enjoyed living at the Blair House in Normal followed by Heritage Health (ARC).

He was very proud of his family and is survived by his five sons: James (Mandie), Towanda; John, Normal; Tom, Ocean Springs, MS; Dan (Mary Ellen), Normal; and Ron Jr. (Debbie), Lake Mary, FL; 13 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his wife Lucy, his daughter Lori, and his daughter-in-law Donna Jo. In lieu of flowers, the Family encourages donations to a charity of your choice in his memory.