Anderson Funeral Home

serving families for over 60 years
312 South Stone St.
Augusta, WI 54722
715-286-2222

John Whaley
John R. Whaley, “Jack� 81, formerly of rural Augusta, passed away Saturday evening, Dec. 22, 2012 at the Fall Creek Valley Care Center with his loving son at his side. 

John Rothert Whaley was born on Dec. 31, 1930, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to Birely and Dorothy (Rothert) Whaley. He was raised in the Indianapolis area of Franklin Township and graduated from Franklin Township High School in 1949. He went on to attend Butler University in Indianapolis, where he majored in geography, minored in Spanish and belonged to Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. He graduated in 1953, commissioned as an officer in the United States Air Force. He went on to Flight School at Webb Air Force Base in Big Spring, Texas, where his roommate was Jack Swigert who went on to be the Lunar module commander on Apollo 13. From there he was stationed in Sembach, Germany, where he belonged to the 66th. Tactical Reconnaissance Group. In 1960, he was stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Georgia, where he had the honor of being chosen as one of a select crew of the RB 101. While in Valdosta he met Kay “Cissie� Shepard, the two later married on June 23, 1963, in Valdosta. His next assignment was to Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where he served as a Flight Commander. In 1966, he was stationed in Wichita, Kansas, to fly F105’s before his deployment to Vietnam in 1967. While in Vietnam he flew 100 successful bombing missions and participated in “Operation Rolling Thunder.� At this time in his career he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal (Multiple Clusters) and the Silver Star. 
 

He then returned to Moody Air Force Base as a Flight Commander before moving to Grenier Air Force Base in Manchester, New Hampshire. At Grenier he served as the Operations Commander and had the privileged to welcome to the base, President Richard Nixon in 1974 and President Gerald Ford in 1976. When he retired on June 30, 1976, he had attained the rank of Lt. Colonel and awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. 

After leaving the service he taught high school world history and ROTC in Murray, Kentucky. In 1977, he moved his family to rural Augusta and worked at the Augusta Ag Center and Eckel Implement Company, servicing Delaval milking equipment. In January of 1985, John suffered a debilitating brain aneurysm which opened up the door to his real passion of traveling and reading about world history and current affairs. At this time he was also able to help his son with field work. In the past 10 years he enjoyed his life traveling to o Russia, China, Australia, New Zealand and Scotland. John loved downhill skiing and while in the service he was stationed in areas that afforded him the opportunity to ski on many beautiful slopes. John was a member of the Retired Military Officers Association of Eau Claire, where he had served as president.

Paul would like to take this opportunity to thank John and Theresa Pettis and Arden Troxel for taking John on errands when he was no longer able to drive and to the staff at the Fall Creek Valley Care Center for the compassion and care given to his father while he was a part of their family for the past year.  

He will be dearly missed by his son, Paul Whaley of Augusta; sister, Ellen Shaffer and nephew, John Shaffer both of Rockville, IN, and niece LeeAnne Luttrell of Terre Haute, IN. He was preceded in death by his parents, niece, Amy Shaffer and wife, Cissie on Feb. 6, 2009  

Funeral services will be held Thursday, Dec. 27, 2012, at 1:00 p.m. at the Anderson Funeral Home in Augusta. Burial with military rites will be held in the West Lawn Cemetery in Augusta. Friends may call 2 hours prior to services Thursday at the funeral home. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be given to the Augusta Public Library.Â