Emogene Whaley Obituary

Emogene Reynolds was born January 4, 1944 to Phillip and Teola Lee Reynolds in Blossom Lamar County Texas. She was called "Pollye" by family and friends.

Funeral Services will be Friday, December 22, 2023 at 1:00pm at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 525 Beech Street, Abilene, Texas. Burial will be Tuesday, December 26, 2022 at 2:00pm at the Texas State Veteran Cemetery, 7457 W Lake Rd, Abilene, Texas.

Emogene attended Booker T. Washington Elementary school in Blossom Texas. She moved to Paris Texas with her family in 1956 and attended Gibbons High School from the 6th grade to the 11th grade. In 1961 after the death of her mother she moved to Midland Texas to live with her brother and his wife. She enrolled in Carver High School in her senior year and graduated at the top of her class in 1962. After graduating high school she worked at a retirement center until 1963. She met the love of her life Bernard L. Whaley in her senior year of High School and later married him on June 9, 1963. In that same year she moved to San Antonio, Texas where her husband was station in the United States Air Force at Randolph Air Force Base. In 1965 they moved to Albuquerque New Mexico. To this union two (2) children were born, CaSandra D. and Bernard Lee Whaley Jr. In 1969 she and the children moved back to Midland, Texas while her husband was being station in Turkey. A year later (1970) she moved to Abilene, Texas where she learned to bowl. She was asked to join a ladies bowling league at Dyess AFB.

During her time in Abilene she was employed at the Timex factory making parts for watches. In 1975 she moved to Memmingen Germany with her husband who was station in Germany. While there she and her husband was asked to join a bowling league in which she was the league president. While in Germany she enjoyed touring the country side and the Castles and field trips that was set up by the Germans for the service men's wives. In 1978 she moved back to Abilene Texas with her family where she went to work as a Nurse's Aide at Hendrick Medical Center for a year. She took time from work to attend Nursing School at Hendrick Medical School of Nursing and after graduating from the nursing school she received her L.V.N. Diploma and License. She worked as a charge nurse on a Medical floor at Hendrick Medical Center. She also worked in the GI Lab as an Assistant to the doctors. While being employed at the hospital she bowled on the hospital bowling league. She worked for 23 years at the hospital until her retirement. After a short period she went to work at a GI Clinic assisting doctors in their procedures. She continued to work for another 10 years before she retired again. In 2010, she and her husband of more than 60 years started to travel sailing on their first Ocean Cruise. After that cruise they were hooked on cruising. Emogene was very active in the United Methodist Church here in Abilene and volunteered working with the food pantry each month.

Love ones left is her loving husband Bernard, daughter CaSandra D. (Lonnie) and Bernard Lee (Felicia) Whaley Jr., Brother Ernest E. (Mae Ruth) Reynolds San Diego, California. Special Nephew Phillip (Vera) Reynolds, Houston, TX, Niece Amber Reynolds Clark and a host of other Nieces, Nephews, Relatives and Friends.

Emogene was preceded in death by her parents Phillip and Teola Reynolds, Sisters: Cloteal Reynolds Cobb, Doris Reynolds Hayden, Bernice Reynolds Minter, Hazel Reynolds Edwards, Mildred Reynolds Battle Brothers: Laurene Kenneth Reynolds, Lawrence Reynolds who was killed in action in WWII in Germany, Curtis (Jackie) Reynolds, Theodis (Rex) Reynolds, adopted brother Edmund Horn Reynolds and two sisters who died in infancy, Gladys Reynolds and Everline Reynolds her twin.