DARTMOUTH — Reverend Wallen L. Bean, of Dartmouth, passed away peacefully on March 27, surrounded by family and friends. Born in Moorefield, West Virginia, February 12, 1922, to Orvon and Essye Bean, he is survived by his wife, Christine, sons Charles and wife Eileen Leahy, James and wife Cynthia, John and wife Stephanie Weisz, grandchildren Devin, Nathan and Jessamyn, and brother Rodney.
Wallen graduated from Western Maryland College and Boston University School of Theology, and served churches in Massachusetts including Orleans Methodist, Trinity Methodist in New Bedford and Smith Neck Friends Meeting in Dartmouth.
Following his ministry at Trinity Methodist, Wallen was a counselor at Rodman Job Corps, and at Corrigan Mental Health Center in Fall River, and served as Associate Director of Social Services at the Department of Mental Health for the Cape and the Islands.
A longtime member of the Greater New Bedford Inter-Church Council, Wallen received the 2010 Sydney Adams Award for Distinguished Service in Ecumenical Ministry. He worked as a pastoral councilor and as chaplain at St Luke's Hospital. He helped found the local Parkinson's support group at the Dartmouth Senior Center and worked in other quiet ways to help people throughout the community.
Wallen had a lifelong passion for fishing, gardening and singing, and loved spending time with his family. He sang with the BU Seminary Singers, the Greater New Bedford Choral Society and instilled in his sons and their children a lifetime love of music. He encouraged and actively supported his wife Christine's artistic endeavors. Wallen loved storytelling, never lost his sense of humor and recently had completed a memoir entitled A Most Uninitiated Hillbilly.
A memorial service will be held at Smith Neck Friends Meeting, 594 Smith Neck Road in South Dartmouth at 11am, Saturday, March 31st 2012.
In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.