Ethel C. Whaley
Ethel Cornelia Whaley of Westhampton Beach died on April 6 at the Hampton Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing. She was 85.
Born in Camden, South Carolina, on July 5,1926, she moved to Westhampton Beach with her parents, Samuel and Lillian Rainey, at age 6. Mrs. Whaley, affectionately known as “Bootsie,” attended Westhampton Beach schools. She and her late husband, Edward Irving Whaley Sr., were married for 36 years and they had five children.
An avid lover of jazz and big band music, Mrs. Whaley would often reminisce about her youth, when she would jitterbug, lindy hop and stomp at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem with her cousins Tommy, Wa Wa, Susie, Sister and Sonny. She retired her dancing shoes at age 82, with her final performance on the “Soul Train” line.
Her zeal for life and laughter, sense of humor and great stories left a lasting impression on everyone she met, according to survivors. Mrs. Whaley enjoyed traveling to see her grandchildren and great-grandchild, and relaxing at the beach.
She is survived by her children, Edward “Bo” Whaley and his wife Enid, Janet Celik and her husband Avni, Kenneth Whaley, Barbara Ayo and her husband Yinka, and Karen Morency; five grandchildren, Emil, Brielyn and Maya Aponte-Whaley, and Kayode and Wura Ayo; one great-grandchild, Patum Stevenson Whaley; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
The family received visitors on Wednesday, April 11, at the Follett & Werner Funeral Home in Westhampton Beach. A funeral is set for today, Thursday, April 12, beginning at noon, at the Beach United Methodist Church in Westhampton Beach; the Reverend Jack King will officiate. Burial will follow at the Westhampton Cemetery.
on Apr 10, 2012