Wayne Eugene Whalen passed away on Wednesday morning, March 19th at his home at Wildwood Grove Assisted Living in Le Roy, MN, due to heart and kidney failure. There will be a Celebration of Life open house at the Le Roy Community Center, 204 West Main Street, Le Roy, MN, on Sunday, March 30th, 2025, from 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm, with a short time of reflection at 3:30 pm. Wayne just wanted everyone together, celebrating life, telling stories, laughing, and making more memories.
Wayne Eugene Whalen was born on March 26th, 1950. He was the third son of Leonard and Dorothy (Jensen) Whalen, born in Austin, MN. Shortly after he was born, the family moved to California. His sister, Judy, was born there. On September 13, 1960, their dad, Leonard, died. His family returned to Minnesota where Wayne attended public school. He dated Linda Overby for a brief time, and they were married in 1969. They had two sons, Chuckie, and Troy. They later divorced in 1973. Linda and the boys moved to Yakima, Washington. Wayne met his second wife, Sharon (Holmen), in January of 1974, and they were married on August 19th,1976 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Wayne drove truck over-the-road wherever they would send him. Sharon said their song was “Seasons in the Sun” by Terry Jacks. Their 23+ year marriage ended in divorce in 2000. He continued to live in Austin until he moved to Wildwood Grove Assisted Living in Le Roy, MN in March of 2022.
Ask anyone to say something about Wayne, and the word prankster comes to mind. He especially liked to play pranks on his nieces and nephews. He loved to play the slots. He liked to drive, even when he was not working.
Wayne is survived by his sons, Chuckie (Florence, Montana) and Troy (Yakima, Washington) one grandson, Cory; three granddaughters, Kiara, Cassandra, and Paige; three great-grandchildren, Cassidee, Khori, and Astrid; two brothers, Ronnie, Patrick (Diane); and one sister, Judy (Whalen) Johnson, and many nieces, nephews, and numerous cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, one brother-in-law, Mike Johnson, and one sister-in-law, Sherry Whalen.
The family would like to thank Wildwood Grove staff for taking care of Wayne and making him feel at home for the past three years.
Wayne was a fun happy go lucky guy and he loved his boon farms wine in his younger years had some good times. Rest in peace cuz
I loved going on vacation with him.loved going in semi with him. Spent a lot of time with him. He was an awesome person love u so much!!!
Sorry we can’t make it. We were out to our daughter kellys this weekend and are on our way home now. Sympathy to the family and say hi to everyone. I can remember when Wayne had a transula for a pet. We also got in trouble going to the sand pit swimming. Those were fun times though.