Obituary of Colleen Whelan

The Funeral Mass will be live streamed from Our Lady of Lourdes Church Thursday 11:00 AM at the following link

https://youtube.com/live/J68z6fHgRxw?feature=share

Margaret Colleen Whelan (née McCann) entered eternal rest on September 16 surrounded by her loving family.

The family will receive family and friends on Wednesday, September 18 from 2pm to 4pm and 6pm to 8pm at Dangler Funeral Home at 340 Main Street, West Orange, NJ. They will gather again the following day at 10am in the funeral home to begin to leave for the Mass of Christian Burial at Our Lady of Lourdes which will begin at 11am, followed by burial at Gate of Heaven cemetery in East Hanover, NJ. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to the Boys Town or St Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Colleen’s name.

Colleen was born in Newark in 1938, to parents Daniel and Margaret McCann (née Farrell) both deceased.

Colleen attended school at St. Aloysius for her early years, followed by St Elizabeth’s at Convent Station where she was an Apostolate at Sisters of Charity of St Elizabeth.

She worked for Liberty Mutual in Newark when she met the love of her life Jimmy in 1961 at McGovern’s Tavern and they married in 1964. They moved to West Orange and started their family.

Colleen dedicated her life to her family, as a Brownie and Girl Scout Leader, president of the PTG, and on Parish Council at Our Lady of Lourdes parish and school. Her interests included bowling, crocheting, and traveling.

In 1985, she returned to the workforce running Payroll at Patient Care Inc, widening her circle of friends, and brightening everyone’s days.

She retired in 2000, when her and Jimmy started traveling the world.

In 2006, they relocated to Ledgewood, where Colleen completely developed a new wide social network, joining the Rosary Society at St. Therese Church, prayed the rosary at Marymount, worked in a soup kitchen, and joined Roxbury Senior Center. Volunteering continued as she would drive anyone who asked to mass, bingo, doctor’s appointments, etc. Travel continued, including frequently to Ireland to visit family.

As her health started to decline, her faith never wavered, and she continued to be an amazing example of faith to all.

Colleen is predeceased by her siblings, Daniel (Bud) McCann, Pat Paxton (John), and Kathy Whelan, and her son Michael Whelan.

She is survived by her husband, Jimmy, her brothers-in-law Patrick Whelan and Martin Whelan, her sister-in-law Dorothy McCann, her children Theresa Card (Brian), Colleen Whelan, Mary Kay Kunz (Michael), Kathleen Morales (Giovani), her daughter-in-law Alexandra Whelan (née Gehlen), her grandchildren Matthew Kunz (Alex) Brandon Card, Daniel Card, Emma Morales, Julia Morales, Fiona Morales and Elisabeth Whelan, and over thirty nieces and nephews.