John Patrick Whalen Sr.

Sept. 30, 1930 – March 27, 2026

John Patrick “Pat” Whalen was born September 30, 1930, in Cody to William Carroll Whalen and Maude Showalter Whalen. His mother died of pneumonia when he was 2, so he and his brother moved in with their grandparents, Eugene and Alice Showalter, in Lovell. 

After living for a while in Washington, Pat moved back to Wyoming and went to Cowley High School. Pat became an accomplished athlete, earning all-state honors in both baseball and basketball. Pat continued his involvement with sports for many years. He played on high level amateur teams in both softball and basketball, traveling the Rocky Mountain West to compete in tournaments. 

In Cowley, Pat met and married his wife, Sidney. They remained married for more than 75 years. Pat was an avid college sports fan, especially football and basketball. Many fall Saturday afternoons were spent in front of the TV, cheering on one team or another. His favorite teams were BYU, LSU and the University of Wyoming.

Pat always loved the great Wyoming outdoors. Many days were spent fishing for trout and pike in the Alcova and Pathfinder reservoirs. He also loved hunting for deer and elk in the Big Horn Mountains and walking through the abundant northern Wyoming grasslands pursuing pheasants. At one point Pat and Sidney even bought a cabin near Dubois, Wyoming, where they could enjoy long stays in the mountains.

After school Pat had several jobs before beginning a long successful career as a Corrosion Engineer at Marathon Oil Company. His work took him to many locations, ranging from northern Wyoming to the Permian oil fields in Texas and finally to the offshore drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Pat was well respected by his colleagues and maintained friendships with many of them long after they had gone their separate ways.

One of Pat’s favorite hobbies was investing in the stock market. Despite little formal education in finance or economics, Pat learned the ins and outs of the market and became a very successful investor.

After retirement, Pat and Sidney became world travelers. They enjoyed several ocean cruises and traveled to many exotic locales, including China, Vietnam and Russia. Traveling with family was also very important. Many will long remember the multi-generational family trips to the beautiful Mismaloya resort in Puerto Vallarta Mexico sponsored by Pat and Sidney. Swimming in the ocean, playing games at the many pools and telling stories over family dinners were the highlights of these many trips.

Pat’s remaining years were spent in St. George, Utah. Among other things, he enjoyed golfing with his friends, shopping at Costco and dining at the local restaurants, especially when he had a coupon.

Pat became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in November of 2013.

It seems hopelessly inadequate to attempt to sum up a person’s long life in just a few paragraphs. Most importantly, Pat will be remembered as a generous and compassionate soul, whose commitment to friends and family was unconditional.

Pat is survived by his wife, Sidney, sons Bill and John Patrick Jr., daughter Colleen, six grandsons and one great-granddaughter. 

There will be a family service at some point in the future per Pat’s request. Many thanks to the staff at Primrose Assisted Living in Washington, Utah, for their tireless devotion to Pat and Sidney. 

Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Metcalf Bonzo Mortuary. Please visit their website at www.metcalfbonzomortuary.com for condolences and complete obituary.