April 26, 2010

The Day Our Youngest Son Died...

Gregory Edward Whale Jr


     Our son, Gregory Edward Whale, Jr, was born on September 2, 1991 and for some reason, a reason that we don't know or understand right now, was taken from us on Monday, April 26, 2010 - in a tragic car accident.
     If we had known that Monday, would have been the last day here on earth for our son, we would have taken time to share more of him with others, so that you would know what a gift from God we were given and understand the loss that we are feeling right now.
     Gregory is gone, but will always be a part of us. He is gone, but not forgotten. We know that some day, we will see him again. But now, alone without him, his brothers and the rest of us, must go on. May all of us that knew him, take a small piece of something that he shared with us. Whether it was the way to face life…..or how he would walk into a room and say one word and make us all stop and think of what he just said….yes, even if the word was "Pineapple"
     Life handed him so many challenges from day one, but he met every one of them head on, doing it his way no matter what. He lived more in his short 18 Years; 7 Months; 24 Days; 1 Hour; & 31 Minutes here on earth, than most people lived in a lifetime.
     He left behind his parents, Gregory & Christina Whale, two brothers, Joseph Whale of Florida and David Whale of Palmyra. Grandparents Deacon & Mrs. William Whale of Florida and grandmother, Mrs. Ruth Back of Harrisburg; 5 aunts, 3 uncles, 10 cousins and loads and loads of other relatives who will miss him beyond words.
     He was homeschooled and graduated at the age of 16 and went on to attend Daytona State College in Florida and then Harrisburg Area Community College where he was studying to be a nurse, so that he could help others. In between going to school and studying he also found time to work at Arby's Restaurant and spend time with friends.
     Saying goodbye is something we just can't do right now, so we are going to have a memorial service to celebrate his life at 10 a.m., on Saturday, May 1, 2010 at Jesse H. Geigle Funeral home at 2100 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg. There will be a visitation from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m in the funeral home.
     In lieu of flowers, we would be honored if you would make Memorial Contributions to John Hopkins University, ECMO Department, 600 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore, MD 21287, where Greggy first started showing us how much determination and strength he really had.


You may leave condolences at the following online Legacy Guest Book page.

9 comments:

  1. I want to appoligize for not posting in the last several months... All our kids moved out one by one & it was hard to deal with the Empty Nest syndrome... But then in April, when our youngest son died, it was just too much for me to handle & so I didn't go back to blogging at all... Well, I thought you all should know what happened & I will be sure to start posting again, slowly but surely...

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  2. My heart goes out to you, your husband and family. A mother's heart bearing the same wound. My daughter was killed June 30th this year. She was 18 and also homeschooled.I am also an OCDS. I pray that your faith will unite with your hope and bring you peace. God Bless

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  3. Thank you ever so much for reaching out to us, Rebecca... I am so sorry to hear about your daughter. It's such a painful experience to lose a child, but you are brave by stepping outside of your circle & reaching out to others... No parent should ever out-live their children... And although your daughter is no longer physically here on Earth, she will be in your heart forever! I'll be praying for you & the rest of your family... Here are a few web-sites that have been Very Helpful to us...
    (http://www.compassionatefriends.org) (http://www.webhealing.com) (http://www.centerforloss.com)
    The CompassionateFriends also have a FaceBook Page that has helped in so many ways... If anything, log on & just read the comments left by the other parents... You'll quickly realize, you & I are not alone... There are parents who lost their child 30 years ago & some who have lost their child less than 30 days ago...
    I pray that you & your family will be able to find Peace within & never lose your faith...
    God Bless You!

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  4. Christina,

    I was recently given a beautiful little book titled "Fragrance from Alabaster" by Mother Aloysius originally from the Concord Carmel. To paraphrase her, your son did not slowly pour out the oil from the Alabaster Jar but broke it open so he could give you all his love at once. He is still doing so.

    Peace, Jerry

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  5. hello, I am from Ireland. I will keep Gregory in my prayers, may his soul rest in peace, Amen.

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  6. I enjoyed so much reading your blogs and learned so much about being a Carmelite. May many be blessed by your contributing.

    So sorry to learn about Gregory. I will pray for him and your family. God bless you all for doing what you are doing for Carmel!

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  7. I will pray for Gregory and for you. God bless and thanks for your blogging.

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  8. GRACIAS POR EL BLOG OS DEJMAOS EL NUESTRO DE LA COMUNIDAD DE OCDS DE LEON ESPAÑA UNIDOS EN ORACION
    http://carmeloseglarleon.blogspot.com/

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  9. Thank you all for your beautiful comments... It's been a tough year without our youngest son, but we have now moved back to Florida & have our oldest two sons close by... Our oldest is getting married in October!!

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Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and to comment on them. God Bless!