Anderson Funeral Home
Homeserving families for over 70 years
312 South Stone St.
Augusta, WI 54722
715-286-2222
Bessie Whalen
Bessie L. (Warner) Whalen, 90, of Augusta, passed away peacefully at her daughter’s home in the town of Ludington on Sunday afternoon, November 22, 2020.
Bessie was surrounded by her family and in the care of Mayo Home Hospice. Bessie Louise, daughter of Robert and Hilda (Christopherson) McCarty, was born on Oct. 4, 1930, in Cadott. She was raised with her siblings in Ludington Township, attended country school and graduated from Augusta High School in 1948. Following her graduation she was united in marriage to Robert Warner on June 5, 1948, in Augusta. Bob and Bessie lived all of their married life just east of Augusta on their farm in Bridge Creek Township. In addition to raising her family and helping Bob with the farm and his carpentry business, Bessie also worked at Presto Industries in Eau Claire for several years. For many years Bessie was employed by the Augusta School District, initially with the kitchen crew working with the hot lunch program and then as a school bus driver for over 20 years.
After Bob passed away on March 27, 1993, she was united in marriage to James Whalen in 1994. Together Jim and Bessie celebrated nearly 25 years of marriage while living in Augusta. For many years the two of them worked as team reading meters for Eau Claire County Electric. Playing cards with family and friends was always a favorite pastime with Bessie. Over the years she developed long lasting friendships with the ladies she played cards with on Tuesdays at the Osseo Golf Course. To her family, Bessie will be remembered as an excellent mother and grandmother figure to her large extended family and the way she cherished each and every child that came into her life. She had heart breaks throughout her life, but the love she had for her family and the love they had for her got them all through the difficult times. She worked hard but also enjoyed her flower and vegetable gardens, picking berries, canning and cooking delicious meals for anyone who sat down at her table. Entertaining family and friends was always a labor of love for Bessie. In later years she looked forward to the many outings that her children, stepchildren and grandchildren shared with her in return.
Bessie will be dearly missed by so many, but she is now reunited with her loved ones that have gone on before her. In addition to Bob, she was also preceded in death by her husband Jim who passed away on June 20, 2019; children, Crystal Dake, Kit Warner, Becky and Butch Wilkinson; great granddaughter Lillian Topper; sisters, Crystal (Wilber) VanGorder, Ella (Clarence) Jaenke, Lorraine (Paul) Johnson, Velva Holm, Elsie (John) Buck and Hilda (Werner) Berg; brothers, Milo, William (Rosie), Bruce (Susie)and Robert McCarty; also by Jim’s son Barry; and siblings, Emmett, Donald, Patrick, Daniel, Julia, Anna Mae Whalen Curtin, Dorothy Whalen Davis, Delores Whalen McDowell, and Mary Zoll Mauss, Myrtle Zoll Larson, Vivian Zoll, and Jim Zoll.
Bessie is survived by her 3 sons, Wade (Cheryl) Warner of Augusta, Cole (Anne) Warner of Holman, Dusty (Joyce) Warner of Augusta; daughter, Wendy (Vern) Luedtke of rural Fall Creek; daughter-in-law Cindy Warner of Eau Claire; 23 grandchildren, several great grandchildren and 3 great great grandchildren; 6 step children, Kathleen (David) Marschinke of Bella Vista, AR, Bill (Kathy) Whalen of Stevens Point, Brian (Laurie) Whalen of Cuba City, Brad (Rhonda) Whalen of Nelson,Bob (Cynthia) Whalen of Altoona, Julie (Carol) Whalen of Springfield, OR; and their families; sisters and brother-in-law, Arlene McCarty of Eau Claire, Shirley Smith of Geraldine, MT, Gary and Margie Warner of Downingtown, PA, Lee Whalen, Bernadette Whalen and Dorothy Brooks, many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Private services will be held for the family at the Anderson Funeral Home in Augusta.
A Celebration of Life Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020
Noon to 4:00 p.m. Augusta Lion’s Hall 200 E. Lincoln St. Augusta, WI
Online condolences can be left at www.andersonfhaugusta.com
