Oklee - Hazel Whalen, 94, formerly of Oklee, died Sunday, May 23, 1999 at Oakland Park Nursing Home in Thief River Falls.
Mass of Christian burial will be held on Saturday, May 29, 1999 at 10 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Oklee with Father Joe Richards officiating. Charity Wicks will be the organist, and Shelly Burkel will be the soloist. Angie Radniecki will be the reader, and mass servers will be Stephen Whalen and Nathan Whalen. Burial will be in the St. Vincent dePaul Catholic Cemetery in Plummer.
Visitation will be held on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. with a 7 p.m. prayer service at Petterson Funeral Home in Oklee and also for one hour prior to services at the church on Saturday.
Hazel Anne Whalen was born on July 25, 1904 in Equality township of Red Lake county near Oklee, the daughter of Kerence and Margaret (Donahue) Whalen. She was raised and attended school near Oklee and graduated from high school in Red Lake Falls. She worked at a Bemidji hospital.
In 1932, Hazel began working in Oklee as parish housekeeper. After working in Thief River Falls for a time, she returned to Oklee where she worked until retirement. She continued to lived in Oklee until May 31, 1993 when she moved to Valley Home in Thief River Falls. In 1997, she moved to Oakland Park Nursing Home.
She enjoyed cooking, gardening, embroidery and needlepoint.
Hazel is survived by two brothers, Joseph Whalen of Thief River Falls and Thomas (Theone) Whalen of Huntington Beach, CA; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, James and George; and four sisters, Sister Mary Linus, Emma Schirrick, Florence Whalen and an infant sister. A00003B1999MY26