William Whalen

It is with deep sadness that we mourn the loss of William (Bill) Whalen, 59, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly from a stroke on Nov. 27, 2024. Bill was born on St. Patrick’s Day, which certainly set the tone for his carefree, fun-filled and easygoing life. Bill grew up in Hopkinton (Woodville) and moved to Florida to attend college at Florida Institute of Technology (FIT).

Bill was an avid runner, running varsity cross country and indoor/outdoor track as well as the Boston Marathon in high school (Marian High School in Framingham) and was awarded the Scott Bailey Memorial Scholarship his senior year. After high school, Bill attended FIT and then began a dedicated career (over 30 years) at Outback Steakhouses around the Central Coast of Florida. Bill loved all sports, especially baseball and golf, and was a walking sports encyclopedia. Bill would have been a wonderful color commentator in sports broadcasting had the stars aligned differently. Bill was a funny, friendly, kind and gentle soul who could strike up conversations with anyone about anything. Bill was generous to a fault, and he would give you the shirt off his back. In that spirit, Bill was an organ donor and was able to help many others in need after his passing.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents (Gloria and James) and is survived by his sister Michele (husband Bob) Washek, and brothers Thomas (wife Grace) and Robert (wife Michelle). Bill is also survived by four nieces, one nephew and one great-niece (Emily, Melissa, Julie, Zenaida, James and Isabella). Bill also had many wonderful friends, who he also considered his family.

There is a celebration of Bill’s life planned for noon on Sunday, Jan. 19, at Kiwanis Island Park in Merritt Island, Florida.

To honor Bill, please consider donating to his hospital to help pay for his medical bills (hf.org/healthcare-home/health-first-foundation/make-donation).

Obituaries are submissions, typically from funeral homes, that are not subject to the same level of editorial oversight as the rest of the Hopkinton Independent. Obituaries may be edited for grammatical and factual mistakes and clarifications and shortened for space considerations.