Richard Quigley Whelan, of Merion Station, a maritime lawyer and fisherman, dies at 65

Richard Quigley Whelan, 65, of Merion Station, a maritime lawyer and avid fly fisherman, died Friday, March 19, from cancer in hospice care.

Mr. Whelan was a partner at Philadelphia-based Palmer Biezup & Henderson LLP, where he was a litigator and trial defense attorney on behalf of ship owners and underwriters.

Born in Lock Haven, Pa., to Albert J. and Ida Foster Whelan, he grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs including Bryn Mawr. He spent summers on Long Beach Island, where he surfed and worked as a Beach Haven lifeguard.

In the 11th grade, Mr. Whelan transferred to the Episcopal Academy, where academic rigor, caring teachers, and high expectations, he would later say, changed his life. He also proved himself a talented athlete, competing in track, basketball, but especially soccer. According to family, his coach, Curt Lauber, remarked that Mr. Whelan was loved by his teammates because he was a generous player; having a good game didn’t matter to him if his team didn’t win.

From Episcopal, Mr. Whelan went on to the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in American civilization and he stood out as an award-winning soccer player on Penn’s nationally ranked team.

It was at Penn where he met his future wife, Gina Jarvis, a fine arts major and varsity athlete on the field hockey and lacrosse teams.

The couple wed in 1978 and moved to New Orleans, where Mr. Whelan studied maritime law at Tulane University. In 1981, they returned to the Philadelphia area, where Mr. Whelan began his law career and the couple started their family.

Mr. Whelan was a devoted family man who relished time together. Sometimes it was hard to say who had more fun — he or his kids. He enjoyed attending his sons’ activities and supporting their interests, his wry sense of humor always at the ready.

“Laughing was always important to him,” said his wife.

He made family life fun.

“Rick often said he lived his own childhood all over again — ‘in a good way’ — as we raised the boys,” Gina Jarvis Whelan said. “He loved to teach them to fish, find salamanders, catch crabs and minnow, sled, skate, boogie board, ride bikes, and go trick-or-treating strategically.”

In particular, he shared his love of trout fishing with his sons, and together they explored the best spots along the Tobyhanna River at Pocono Lake Preserve. Mr. Whelan did observe the catch-and-release protocols. Gina noted that other anglers were nonetheless regaled with tales of her husband’s prowess in the comments he left in the “Record Your Catch” logs.

As much fun as Mr. Whelan was as a dad and later as Popi to his grandchildren, his wife said he kept life interesting as a partner, too.

“He wasn’t the loud guy in the room, but if you were sitting next to him, you were fully entertained,” she said. “He always had a point of view you would have never had in a million years, but it was absolutely true. He surprised me our entire marriage.”

In addition to his wife, Mr. Whelan is survived by sons Denis and Reid; two brothers; three grandchildren; and other relatives. A son, Richard Quigley Whelan Jr., died earlier.

A memorial celebration in the fall will be announced once coronavirus safety protocols permit large gatherings.

The family requests donations in Mr. Whelan’s name be made to the Richard Q. Whelan Jr. ’00 Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Jen Fifer at The Episcopal Academy, 1785 Bishop White Dr., Newtown Square, Pa. 19073 or the Ocean Conservancy, 1300 19th Street NW, 8th Floor, Washington, D.C. 20036.