Barbara Whalen

Whalen, Barbara Gleason

Barbara Whalen, 97, died peacefully March 14, 2026, at Grand Oaks Assisted Living in Washington, DC.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Congressman Charles "Chuck" Whalen; her son, Joseph Whalen; and her brother, Frank Gleason, Jr. She was the daughter of the late Frank and Norma Gleason of Sidney, Ohio.

She is survived by five children: Charles "Chip" Whalen (Ines Mbaga), Daniel Whalen (Molly), Edward "Ted" Whalen, Anne Whalen McLindon, and Mary Whalen Scherer (Andy); and seven grandchildren: Robert and Catherine Whalen; Drew, Luke, and Colin Scherer; and Grace and Maggie McLindon.

Born in Detroit and raised in Sidney, Ohio, she graduated from Marymount College and worked in advertising and at WHIO radio and television in Dayton, where she married her husband. Together with her husband they authored two books "The Longest Debate: A Legislative History of the 1964 Civil Rights Act", and "The Fighting McCooks - America's Famous Fighting Family". She later lived for 60 years in Bethesda, Maryland.

Funeral Mass at Church of the Little Flower, Bethesda, March 27 10:00am, visitation at 9:00am. Burial on March 30 Calvary Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio.

Sign the guestbook at Legacy.com