William James Whelehan (Retired CPD Lt. (79), known affectionately to all as “Bill,” passed away at the age of 79. Bill was born on September 24, 1946 and returned to the arms of the Lord on March 3, 2026. Bill spent more than a decade splitting his time between Sun City West, Arizona and his hometown Chicago, Illinois.
Bill is survived by his wife, Linda Whelehan (nee Gralak) and they would have celebrated their 54th wedding anniversary next month. Bill is also survived by his children Megan (John) and William (Allison), four grandchildren, Bridget, Grace, Daniel and Maeve, his sister Bonnie (William) and numerous cousins, nieces/nephews and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, Mary and William Patrick Whelehan and sister, Suzanne.
Bill attended Quigley High School but then transferred to Brother Rice High School when the pressure to become a priest just became too great. After graduating from Brother Rice, he then went on to DePaul University where he obtained both his Bachelor’s degree and Masters degree. It was during his years at DePaul when he joined Alpha Beta Gamma fraternity and became bonded with lifelong brothers. It turned out that wearing that suit to “impress the hell” out of the fraternity brothers worked. Bill also went on to earn another Master’s degree from Webster University. Bill’s life of service to his country and community was evident in his decades of public service in the United States Army, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel (1968-1996) and serving in the Chicago Police Department, retiring as a Lieutenant (1971-2002).
Even in his retirement, Bill could not let the love of the uniform go, and devoted additional years to serving with the Arizona Rangers, Peoria Company. Bill was also active in the Knights of Columbus- Fourth Degree, Emerald Society of Illinois & Arizona, Honor Flight and the FBI National Academy (a graduate of the 180th Session). Of all the ranks he achieved, being “Papa” to his grandkids was his favorite.
We invite all to the celebration of his life, mass to be held at Prince of Peace, 14818 W. Deer Valley Road, Sun City West, AZ 85375 at 10:30am on Wednesday April 8th, 2026. A celebration of life also to be held in Chicago, IL at a later date to be determined.
In lieu of flowers, donations appreciated: Police Chaplains Ministry, 1140 W. Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60607. Police Chaplains Ministry is a 501(c)3 organization proudly serving active and retired CPD members. (Direct link, press “control” button and click on link to follow: Chicago Police Chaplains Ministry Donations
