John Whale

John Whalen was born in Waltham, the eldest child of Doris and John Whalen II, and soon became a big brother to Judy and Jimmy. While attending Waltham High School, he met the love of his life, Frances “Frani” Dunn. They married shortly after John graduated from Bentley University with a bachelor’s degree in accounting.

In 1974 he welcomed his first daughter, Sandy, his second daughter, Chrissy, in 1976, and completed a move to Hopkinton where he and Fran would start their family. John worked his way up to VP/Comptroller at ComEnergy/NSTAR in Cambridge, eventually retiring to Florida in the early 2000’s. He was a devoted father, spending all his time with his daughters as they both pursued their passion for skating. Whether it was buying an RV to drive cross-country for competitions or getting up and driving to practices at 6am, John was always there with his massive camera to capture the good, the bad and the ugly! He rediscovered his love of fishing and hunting over the years, spending countless seasons in Minnesota, Pennsylvania and New York where he kept his boat, The Comptroller. While he and Fran took the girls on many adventures to Disney World, Hawaii and more, his passion for travel took the two on amazing adventures including countless trips to Disney World with and without the kids, Napa Valley with Judy and Billy, Alaska, Europe, South Africa, China, Australia and more. When it was time to stay stateside again, they both loved getting back to their New England roots and spending time in New Hampshire with Judy.

Over the years, he welcomed sons-in-law Jeremy and Bryan into the family and found the deepest love and proudest moments when he was promoted from father to grandfather, or as he was called, “Dad.” TJ, Jack and Nick came first, along with many trips to Minnesota for birthdays, basketball games, hunting and fishing. Kendall, Samantha and Abby came next, creating tons of memories with Disney trips, football games and music shows that made Dad’s eyes light up. They will all miss his guidance, strength and support.

John passed away on July 14, 2024 at the age of 76. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Doris Deveaux Whalen, brother James “Jimmy” Whalen, and brother-in-law William “Billy” Rourke. He is survived by his adoring wife of over 55 years, Frances “Fran” Whalen, eldest daughter Sandy Whalen Rebrovich, son-in-law Jeremy Rebrovich, and grandsons Thomas John “TJ” (John’s namesake), Jack and Nick Rebrovich, youngest daughter Chrissy Whalen Morton, son-in-law Bryan Morton, granddaughters Kendall, Samantha and Abigail Morton, and his sister, Judy Rourke.

The funeral service was held on July 17 at the Loving Funeral Home Churchland Chapel in Portsmouth, Virginia.

Obituaries are submissions, usually from funeral homes, that are not subject to the same level of editorial oversight as the rest of the Hopkinton Independent. Obituaries may be edited for grammatical and factual errors and clarification, and may be shortened for space reasons.