Catherine Louise Whelan, 13, of New Bedford passed away on Monday November 23, 2015. She was the beloved daughter of William M. and Melissa A. (Folcik) Whelan and the devoted sister of William Nicholas Whelan IV and Kelsey Ann Whelan.
A lifelong resident of New Bedford, Catherine was a student in the eighth grade at Holy Family-Holy Name School, where she was the President of the Junior National Honor Society and member of the Drama Club.
Catherine excelled in dancing, singing and acting and had studied voice, piano, and drums. She enjoyed music and computer games. She was a member of the SouthCoast Children’s Theatre, where she had been involved in numerous productions. She performed last year in the Bishop Stang High School production of “Bye Bye Birdie.”
In addition to her parents and siblings, she leaves her loving grandparents, Jean (Parkinson) and William N. Whelan III of New Bedford and Alexandrina “Shandra” (Mongillo) and John Folcik of Southington, CT; her aunts and uncles, Thomas and Sarah Whelan, Julie and Noel Hainsselin, and John and Kathy Folcik; and her cousins, Mitchell and Elise Whelan and Christopher, Elizabeth, and Connor Hainsselin.
Her Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday November 28, 2015 at 10 AM at St. Francis of Assisi Church, followed by burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery. Visiting hours will be on Friday from 4-8 PM at the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 495 Park St., New Bedford. A Memorial Mass to celebrate Catherine's life will be held on Wednesday December 2, 2015 at 6:30 PM at St. Lawrence Church, with a collation to follow at Holy Family-Holy Name School. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Catherine Louise Whelan Memorial Scholarship Fund, 70 N Second Street, New Bedford, MA 02740. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.