PIERRE, SD – John Wilson Whaley, 73, of Pierre, South Dakota, passed away Friday, September 20, 2024, a visitation will be held September 26, 2024 from 6:00pm -8:00pm at Feigum Funeral Home. Funeral Service will be 10:00am September 27, 2024 at the Larkspur Landing Convention Center in Pierre with burial following at Scotty Philip Cemetery.

John Wilson Whaley of Pierre, South Dakota, passed away Friday, September 20, 2024, on Interstate 90 west of Wall, South Dakota. He was 73.

Born on April 22, 1951, in Pierre, SD, he was the son of the late John “Jack” Whaley and Nina (Wilson) Whaley Schopen. He was a brother to Margaret Ann (Jerry) Withers of Pierre, SD and William “Bill” (Gayle) Whaley of Tucson, AZ. John was a 1969 graduate of Riggs High School and 1975 graduate of Northern State College.

John was married to Lynn Marie Fulker in 1974 while attending college in Aberdeen, SD. Their son, Ryan Christopher Whaley, was born in 1979. They divorced and John married Charlotte Jean Michael in 1981. They moved to Tucson, Arizona where they joined the Tucson Street Road Association. Youth and poor communication resulted in their divorce. John returned to Pierre to care for his father who was battling cancer. He married LaRie Rae Nelson which resulted in the birth of their daughter, Cheyenne Leigh in 1996 and Jack Carl in 1999. Rod runs and car shows continued to be a part of life for his family. Sports were a huge part as well. Cheyenne and Jack were involved in many sports, especially volleyball and wrestling, so being on the road was a part of life. John and LaRie divorced in 2017, but both remained involved in the life of their children. John and Charlotte reconnected, and their love put them back together in 2020. They remarried in Pierre and settled down for what was to be the rest of their lives. John’s family now included Charlotte’s two children, Cassandra Senstock, her husband, Joe, and their two children, Miles and Sky, of Granite Falls, Washington and Benjamin Cardenas and his wife Micha of Phoenix, Arizona.

John was a “Car Guy”. His love of all things with wheels started at his father’s side, working on the family car. He was a member of the Vintiques Car Club of Watertown from its inception in 1979. On to Arizona and back to South Dakota, the street rod world was his life. Rarely without a hotrod and a project in the garage, his latest car was the 1929 Ford Model A hotrod that took him to his death. He was current President of the South Dakota Street Rod Association and an active member of Street Masters of Pierre.

Over the years John managed a variety of businesses and was in construction. While raising his children he worked on the road for the South Dakota Department of Transportation. He retired from the DOT and worked for ServiceMaster and Dakota Mart until joining River City Transit in 2022. Also, he was a volunteer fireman in Fort Pierre, SD until his work at the DOT made it impossible for him to be available.

Surviving is his wife, Charlotte Whaley, his siblings Margaret Withers and William “Bill” Whaley and his three children, Ryan Whaley and his wife Katherine; Cheyenne Sarceno and her husband Alex; Jack Whaley and his significant other Kaitlyn Bruns. He also has six nieces and nephews and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents. Not having grandchildren, John considered the family dogs his “grand puppies”. Six in number, they were a daily part of his life. Left to miss “grandpa” are Jet, Mack, Tucker, Ellie, Roxy and Sisu.

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