David Wayne Whalen

Dave Wayne Whalen passed into the welcoming arms of his Savior Jesus on Friday, April 3, 2020. He was born in Stuart, Florida to Harold R. Whalen Jr. and Evelyn Reitz Whalen on September 26, 1957, the younger of two sons.

Dave grew up and attended public schools in Stuart, FL, graduating from Martin County High School in 1975. Shortly after graduation Dave joined the U. S. Navy, and was trained as an Electronics Technician specializing in computer hardware systems. After a short tour in the Navy, he returned to Stuart to work for Grumman Aerospace assembling wiring harnesses for the F-14 Tomcat, the Navy’s premier tactical fighter aircraft. After some initial work with Florida Power & Light at the St. Lucie Nuclear Station in Jensen Beach, FL, he relocated to the Phoenix, AZ, area to further his technical career in the nuclear power industry at the Palo Verde power generation facility. Dave’s technical expertise led him to serve in many different positions at various nuclear plants including Diablo Canyon (San Luis Obispo, CA), Fort St. Vrain (Longmont, CO), and the Salem power plant in southern New Jersey. He was a creative, outside-the-box problem solver leading to one of his most significant achievements in the nuclear power industry -- a computer program designed for Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) to manage radiation exposure for all the technicians serving at the Diablo Canyon power plant.

In August 1987, David married his Longmont, Colorado sweetheart, Stephanie Kirchoffer, and they relocated to Phoenix. Together they adopted four children, and made their home in Litchfield Park, just west of the Phoenix metro area for 19 years.

As a younger man, Dave was an avid tennis player and golfer, and during his “senior” years, he enjoyed riding his personally designed, custom-built, electrically-assisted bicycles in the hot, sunny weather in Arizona. Dave was a musician, sculptor, teacher, nutrition consultant, amateur chef, inventor, computer guru, and small business entrepreneur.

Dave is survived by his mother, Evelyn Whalen (Jensen Beach, FL), his brother, Harold “Rollie” Whalen (Jensen Beach, FL), four children: Amber Whalen Robinson (Reno, NV), Kristen Whalen Jennings (Reno, NV), Brandi Whalen (Scottsdale, AZ), and Phillip Whalen (Glendale, AZ), and six grandchildren.