Ed attended Lindblom High School and Northern Illinois University before leaving NIU to serve in the U.S. Air Force. He later married Mary Sullivan (Wampole) and joined the Chicago Fire Department, where he served faithfully until his retirement. In retirement, Ed enjoyed the Chicago White Sox, fire department collectibles and watching classic movies. He was also a lifelong lover of hockey and the Chicago Blackhawks.
He was the loving son of Edward, Ret. Engineer C.F.D., and Mary (Leyden) Whalen. He was the dear brother of James and was preceded in death by his sisters, Patricia Steinbeigle(late Robert) and Barbara Ruiz (Charles).
Ed will be lovingly remembered by his children, Laura (Mark), Michael (Maia), and Thomas; his grandchildren, Shannon, Tyler, Natalie, Sam, Tommy, Tim, Gavin and Natalie Hess; and his many nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held Saturday, September 5, from 4:30 p.m. until time of service at 6:00 p.m. at Blake-Lamb Funeral Home, 4727 W. 103rd Street, Oak Lawn, IL. 60453. Interment will be held privately.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Chicago Fire Department’s Ignite the Spirit Fund (ignitethespirit.org) or the Wounded Warrior Project (support.woundedwarriorproject.org) are greatly appreciated.
