Mildred Whaley

MOREAU – Former West Canada Valley art teacher Mildred Whaley passed away peacefully at the Home of the Good Shepard in Moreau on July 10, 2016. She was 102 years old. Born on November 9, 1913 in LeRoy, NY, she was the daughter of the late Mary Belle and Claude Whiting. Mildred graduated from Rochester Institute of Technology and New York University. She met and married Arthur Hammond Whaley in 1938 while they were both teaching in Penfield, NY. In 1942 they moved to Middleville, NY, where Art eventually became Supervising Principal at West Canada Valley School District and Mil taught art. They both retired in 1974 but they remained active in the Middleville community until Art passed away in 2002. Mildred then moved to Saratoga Springs to live with her son, Dan. Mrs. Whaley was a member of the United Methodist Church of Middleville and the local chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. One of her students recently wrote her, “You made a difference in my life and you helped make me the person I am today.” To all of the students whose lives she touched, know she remembers each of you and is proud of your accomplishments. In addition to her husband, Mildred is predeceased by her daughter, Susan Whaley Smith, her brother, Harold Whiting, and granddaughter Tamara Whaley. Survivors include her son, Daniel (Lynette) and son-in-law Robert Smith; sister-in-law Eloise Whiting; grandchildren Stacey (David) Taylor and Kevin (Danette) Smith, John Whaley, Christine (Peter) Darcy, James Whaley and Steven (Julie) Whaley; great-grandchildren Daniel and Jacob Taylor, Samantha, Jordin and Meghan Smith, Alexandra, William and Abigail Whaley, Cogan Darcy and August Whaley. The family would like to thank Mildred’s loving caregivers at the Home of the Good Shepard, as well as the many loyal friends from Middleville and Newport who traveled regularly to see her. If you would like to share a life story about Mildred, you may do so at www.autenrithfuneral.com. A memorial service will be held later this summer in Middleville, NY. Burial will be with her husband and daughter at Middleville Cemetery. Memorial donations can be made in her memory to the Kuyahoora Valley Rotary Club’s Arthur Whaley Academic Achievement Award, West Canada Valley Central School District, 5447 State Route 28, Newport, NY 13416.