Thomas John Whalen

Thomas John (TJ) Whalen moved on to his next challenge in July 2019 after succumbing to necrotic pneumonia in Cambridge, MA. He was the joy of Rob and Mary Jo (Andreoli) Whalen since his birth in April 1989 and the 30 years he was with us. Along with us, he will be missed by his extended family, his aunts and uncles, Dr. John and Kathy Andreoli of West Hartford, CT , Stephen and Nancy Whalen of Baltimore, MD. and many cousins.

TJ grew up in Willington where he enjoyed so many fun experiences shared with a very special, life long group of friends. After graduating from E.O. Smith High School, TJ went on to URI where he was blessed to find another wonderful group of friends with whom he shared 4 years of new and exciting adventures.

TJ loved playing baseball and paintball, snowboarding and on-line video games but most of all he was fascinated by computers, so much so that he became a cybersecurity consultant for several organizations. TJ was also close to completing a masters degree in cryptography at MIT and was pursuing a job opportunity in Israel when he passed.

A fateful bike accident in 2011 left TJ with a hand injury that resulted in a painful and debilitating condition - CRPS ( chronic regional pain syndrome). Although this had a major impact on his life it did not prevent him from moving on but we all struggled to understand and cope with his life changing disease.

In honor of TJ and the challenges he faced due to CRPS, the TJ Whalen Memorial Foundation has been established. Please visit: tjwhalenfoundation.org. The purpose of this foundation is to raise awareness of CRPS, provide information, resources and treatment options and to provide support for research. Donation information is located on the website or mail donations to TJ Whalen Memorial Foundation, P.O. Box 28878, Santa Fe, NM. 87592.

We thank our family and friends and TJ's friends for all the love and support throughout these many years. TJ was a remarkable young man and his light will shine forever in our hearts. Peace