August 7, 1946 ~ August 15, 2026 (age 80)
Edwin Phillips Whealdon, Jr. was born on August 7, 1946, in Midland, Texas, to Edwin Phillips Whealdon, Sr. and Florence Moe Whealdon. He arrived five years after his sister Mary and six years ahead of his brother Tom. He grew up in Midland, but his family made annual summer trips back to Superior, Wisconsin to visit his grandfather, A.D. Whealdon, as well as to the Whealdon family farm in Caldwell, Ohio. Ed’s mother was a first-generation American from Norway, and his father was descended from Isaac Whealdon, who came to America from Wales in 1682. Ed was very proud both of his Norwegian heritage and of his “just let me spell it for you” last name with the H and A thrown in for no good reason other than it being the Welsh spelling.
Ed participated in lots of sports growing up—baseball, football, track and field, and swimming. A claim to fame was that he played Little League baseball with George W. Bush before the Bush family moved to Houston. He had a circle of close friends in Midland with whom he remained close throughout his adult life.
He graduated from Midland High School in 1965 and enrolled in Texas Christian University. Having really enjoyed social life at TCU, he was invited to take a semester off. Uncle Sam came quickly calling, and he was drafted into the Marine Corps on December 1, 1968. He completed basic training at Camp Pendleton and was assigned to Camp Lejeune as a clerk/typist. He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps on September 1, 1970, having achieved the rank of corporal, and he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal.
He enrolled at Texas Tech in January 1971, and there he met the love of his life, Jana Copeland, on a blind date. By March, he had proposed and they married on January 8, 1972. Following graduation from Texas Tech, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry, they moved to Nacogdoches for him to pursue master’s-level work in Psychology at Stephen F. Austin State University. Their first daughter, Jennifer, was born while he was in graduate school at SFA. They moved to Irving, Texas, in March 1976 and then to Carrollton, Texas, in January 1978, where they would live for the next 35 years. They added two more daughters to their family, Whitney in 1979 and Leslie in 1982. Ed initially worked for the Garland Assistance Program and then for 28 years as the Social Services Director for the Garland branch of The Salvation Army until his early retirement in 2006. He was very committed to his work at The Salvation Army, where he received the Second Mile Award. He also was an active participant in the North Central Texas Council of Governments. He went back to school and earned a degree in Math and Computer Science from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1984. He also trained as a basketball referee and officiated both boys’ and girls’ basketball at the high school level for many years. In the mid-1990s, he began to work the “north gate” at CFBISD athletic events, which he continued to do until he and Jana moved to Auburn, Alabama, in late 2013.
In Texas, he was an active member of Christ United Methodist Church of Farmers Branch, where he served as an usher for many years and chaired the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee in the early 1990s. Throughout his daughters’ growing-up years, he was the consummate “girl dad.” He definitely loved his daughters. He cried his way down the aisle at their weddings. He welcomed his first grandchild, Reagan, in August 2004, and soon became “the best Poppie ever” not only to Reagan but also to Harper, Denton, Gracen, and Asher.
After moving to Auburn in 2013, he joined the Auburn Lions Club, where he served in leadership roles, including president for two years. He received the Dewey Turner Award each year for committed service to the Lions Club and was named a Melvin Jones Fellow. As part of his Lions Club service, he worked at Auburn football, softball, track and field, and equestrian events. He was a member of the Marine Corps League and participated in the AUMC Veteran Ministry. He was an active member of Auburn UMC, where he served as an usher for over ten years and was a member of the Heart Mind and Soul Sunday School class. He participated in Jubilee Ministry activities at AUMC and he and Jana made many trips with the Jubilee “On the Road Again” group.
He and Jana were also able to make a number of amazing international trips as well as trips throughout the U.S., but the best trips to him were the many trips back to Texas to visit family, going to the beach with the whole family, and traipsing all over the Southeast to watch their granddaughters play volleyball. He proudly wore his “Best Volleyball Poppie Ever” T-shirt. The most special trip was a whole-family trip to Belize in 2022 to celebrate Ed and Jana’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Ed had major health problems beginning in 2024, which he faced with courage, resilience, and determination. He always had the best smile. He began participating in the REACH Community Respite Ministry in late 2024 and kept everyone entertained. No matter how poorly he was doing, he always responded, “I feel fine” and “I am doing great,” even when he clearly did not feel fine and was not doing great. But he did so want to “go home,” and at 6:55 a.m. on August 15, with Jana by his side, he was able to find his way home.
He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Jana; his daughters, Jennifer Gamble (Dallas), Whitney Whealdon (John Cox), and Leslie Loyd (Aaron); his five grandchildren, Reagan, Harper, and Denton Gamble, and Gracen and Asher Loyd; his sister, Mary Brown (Don); his brother, Thomas Whealdon (Kristy Myers); and six nieces and many great-nieces and great-nephews.
His service will be held in the main sanctuary at Auburn United Methodist Church, 137 S. Gay Street, Auburn, Alabama, at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, September 4, 2026, with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in memory of Ed Whealdon for REACH Memorials at Auburn United Methodist Church.
Ed’s ashes will be taken to Texas at a later date to be placed in the columbarium at Christ United Methodist Church.
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