John Francis (Jack) Wholey, Jr. died Sunday, March 3, 2013 in Reno, Nevada at the age of 93.
He was born November 2, 1919 in New York City to John F. Wholey, Sr. and Erma Catherine Hardart.
Jack was a gifted athlete and musician who graduated from M.I.T. at age 19 and left school at age 20 with a Masters in Chemical Engineering. He worked for Allied Chemical in Wilmington, Delaware where he met his wife of 57 years, Elizabeth (Betsy) O’Neill who preceded Jack in death in 2001.
After moving to Syracuse, New York to work for General Electric Company, Jack was a pioneer in the semi-conductor field and his work served as the basis for modern microchip technology. He retired from Honeywell in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1980 and was a resident of Reno, Nevada for the last nine years.
Jack was preceded in death by his grandson, Ricky Wholey. He is survived by four children: Diane Yule (George) of Reno, Nevada; Jack (Jan) of Albany, California; Rick (Marilyn) of Rockford, Illinois; and Linda Young of Scottsdale, Arizona. His family also includes 5 grandchildren: Betsy Garls, Paul Means, Anna Wholey Mundy, Christine Wholey Haas and Ryan Wholey; and 6 great grandchildren: Kyle Curtis, Devon Garls, Sophia, Charlie and Lucy Means, and Jack Mundy.
His passions were his beloved wife Betsy and family, music, birds, golf and his mercurial Chicago Cubs.
There will be a Catholic Memorial Service at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, 2013 at Shrine of Remembrance “America the Beautiful” Chapel, 1730 E. Fountain Blvd., Colorado Springs, Colorado.