Sara M. Whalen Site staff
MONONA – Sara M. Whalen passed away at age 79 on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 after a short illness. Sara was a maker of wonderful things.
She made a beautiful family with her husband John Whalen. John and Sara met in Beloit, Wisconsin in 1964 on Memorial Day weekend when Sara was teaching 4th grade in Beloit and John was working at the Beloit Corp. They married the next summer and welcomed Anne into their lives a year later. Beloit was where they made their first batch of German Yeast cookies, a yearly Christmas tradition that has been passed down to all of their children. Soon after, Sara and John moved to Janesville where John, their favorite son was born. Sara and John moved to Madison in 1970 and then soon after moved to Monona where they shared a home together for 49 years. There they raised four children, the third and surprisingly fourth, Nora and Ruth, arriving on Leap Day, 1976. Throughout the years, Sara and John’s fam