Lyle J. Whalen, 84, of Dubuque, died Sunday, June 28, 2026, at his home in Dubuque.

Visitation will be from 9:30 am until 12:15 pm Tuesday, July 7, 2026 at Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home & Crematory.

A time of sharing will be at 12:30 pm Tuesday, July 7, 2026, at Hoffmann Schneider & Kitchen Funeral Home & Crematory.

Lyle was born September 28, 1941, in Cresco, IA, the son of Harold Joseph and Mary Alice (Lerdahl) Whalen. On June 1, 1963, he married Ann E. Bradfield in St. John’s Episcopal Church in Dubuque. They had two sons, Russ and Steve, who were part of the family businesses from an early age.

Lyle was self-employed from the teen years on. He began fixing friends’ cars and grew that into Whalen Auto Rebuilders. From there he started a dozen or more enterprises, the larger ones being AIH Body Shop Supply, a car wash, a chrome plating company, Pelican Pier, Island Princess Cruises, and Center City Development. He purchased and developed property on Kerper Blvd. as Whalen Commercial Properties. He sponsored custom car shows, and several sports teams including the Iowa State Champion Whalen Softball Team and many of the players remained lifelong friends. He enjoyed traveling with Ann throughout the fifty states as well as Canada, Mexico, Spain and some tropical islands. He loved boating on the Mississippi River and built his own 50 foot Yacht. They spent many retirement winters at their home in Florida and enjoyed boating on the Gulf. Lyle was fair and generous and offered a helping hand to many throughout his life.

Survivors include his wife, Ann E. Whalen; two sons, Russell Timothy Whalen, and his children, Alexis (Noah Kapparos) Ernzen and Lillian Whalen, and their mother, Melissa Ruh, and Steven Patrick (Kayla) Whalen, and his children, Eryn (Jacob) Wernimont, Mary Sarah Trpkosh, and Summer Ann Whalen; four great-grandchildren, Griffin, Leland, Zachery, and Cody; one sister, Colleen (Charles) Sroka of Dubuque; one sister-in-law, Natalie Himes of Arlington, TX; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Theresa Jotham, two sisters-in-law, Mary Blocklinger and Janis Lewis, and two brothers-in-law, Robert and Duane Bradfield.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established for Hospice of Dubuque.

Lyle’s family would like to thank the staff at No Place Like Home and Hospice of Dubuque for their care and support.

A photo tribute can be viewed and condolences sent to the family by visiting Lyle’s obituary at www.hskfhcares.com.