George Phillip Whaley

George Phillip Whaley was born on the East Side of Milwaukee on December 26th, 1928, and passed into eternal life on October 15th, 2026. Survived by his sister-in-law, Isabelle Whaley; his loving children, Michael Whaley, Linda (Joe) Banaszynski, Cynthia (Farhad) Mohsenian, and Mark (Susan) Whaley. Also survived by 13 grandchildren, Eric, Justin (Kate), Scott, Sarah (Jon), Melissa (Brad), Kevin (Elizabeth), Samantha, Alex, Julianna, Brian, Liam, Leila, and Grace; 10 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandchild; and cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Ann (Dakin) Whaley, by his parents, Floyd Whaley and Elizabeth (née Harrison) Whaley; as well as his siblings, Harrison Whaley, Robert (Isabelle) Whaley, and Elizabeth (Dennis) Sciuti.
On April 21st, 1951, George married his high school sweetheart, Patricia Ann Dakin. They were married for 74 years. The two of them loved to travel, spending time in Jamaica, Mexico, and Florida, to name a few places, with family and friends. They earned their nickname as “Snowbirds” for the many winters spent in Florida. Their greatest adventure was raising their four beloved children.
George was a jack of all trades who always had a smile on his face; he worked as a lifeguard at Milwaukee’s lakefront out of high school, and he served in the U.S. Army in Germany as a radio repairman. When he returned from his service, he followed in his father’s footsteps, working as a watchmaker. Originally, he started working with his father at Whaley’s Jewelers on Milwaukee’s eastside. Then, went to work at the old Gimbels and Schuster department stores doing their watch repair. He then worked at A/C Delco, building intricate navigation systems, utilizing his talent for working with small parts. He later started his own watch and clock repair business, named “The Time Shop,” where he taught his sons the watch and clock business. His wife, children, and grandchildren worked with him. After many decades of business, the shop closed, but he continued to do watch repair for other jewelers into his early 90s. George loved swimming, golfing, bowling, and football. He cheered on the Packers, Bucks, and Brewers with seasonal tickets. He enjoyed doing large jigsaw puzzles, listening to music, watching mystery movies, and loved seeing theatre with his family. He loved to have dinners and tell stories with everyone around him. George was an artist; he had a passion for painting and art. Some of his early paintings were done in the Army while he was stationed in Germany. He shared his beautiful perspective of the world through his oil and acrylic paintings, leaving many of his landscapes, seascapes, and drawings for his family and friends to cherish. George will be missed dearly by family and friends. He will forever be in our hearts.