Gwendolyn Pratt Whalen

Gwendolyn Pratt Whalen, 86

Tupper Lake and East Greenbush - Gwendolyn Pratt Whalen, 86, died Thursday, September 10, 2009, at Adirondack Medical Center Saranac Lake, NY as a result of complications, after a successful hip surgery operation.

Born in ElPaso, TX, she was daughter of the late Henry Sinclair Pratt and Jaunita Bashaw Pratt and beloved wife of the late John Joseph Whalen. She was raised and educated in El Paso, Texas where she resided until 1947 moving to Green Island and later spent summers at Tupper Lake and winters in El Paso, Texas. In the fall of 2005,she came to live with her son and her daughter-in-law, John and Jeanne Whalen.

Mrs. Whalen was a constant companion to her husband who was Director of Veteran's Administration Hospitals and resided in numerous locations including Castle Point, Bronx, Albany, Canandaigua and Tupper Lake, NY and Grand Junction, CO, retiring from Bedford, MA.

She was very active and dedicated to the Roman Catholic church, a prime mover and original founding member of the town council and planning board of Horizon City, Texas, a founding charter member of the Fan Association of North America and a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Mrs. Whalen owned and operated Gwen P. Whalen Antiques in Tupper Lake for many years. She was intrigued and did much research for her family in their genealogy. She will be greatly missed..

Survivors include three, sons, Robert Ewing (Lisa) Whalen of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, John Joseph (Jeanne) Whalen Jr. of East Greenbush and Tupper Lake and Paul Winder (Gunilla) Whalen of South Salem, NY; a brother, Henry Sinclair Pratt Jr. of Anchorage, Alaska; her grandchildren, John Joseph Whalen, III, M/Sgt. Christopher Michael Whalen, Matthew Pratt Whalen, Caitlyn Whalen, Patrick A. Whalen and Jenny Katrina Whalen; her great grandchildren, Riley Erin, Christopher Paul, John Joseph IV, William Henry, and Virginia Eliz Whalen and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by a sister, Marjorie (Les) Adams.

Relatives and friends may call at the DeGraaf-Bryce Funeral Home, Inc. 4392 Route 150 West Sand Lake on Sunday from 4-8 PM.

Interment will be in Fort Bliss National Cemetery El Paso, TX.

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in memory of Gwendolyn Whalen to the American Parkinson Disease Association, Inc. Parkinson Plaza, 135 Parkinson Ave. Staten Island, NY 103051425 or American Heart Association 440 New Karner Road Albany, NY 12205 .

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