Alfred "Alf" Whiffen

  General Notes:

obit

Facebook posted by Margaret Whyte 211002
"Clattice Hr.lost another one of it former residents yesterday Alfred Whiffen great friend and wonderful musician and great songwriter and great since of humour you will surely be missed by those that knew you ,rest in peace old friend ."


Alfred Whiffen
March 8, 1937 - October 1, 2021
Alfred Whiffen of Southern Harbour, passed peacefully early in the morning Friday, October 1st, at St.Clare's Mercy hospital. Predeceased by his parents Vincent and Margaret, his brothers and sisters: Pad, John, Vince, Gerald, Angela, Lavina, Rita, Margaret, Winnifred and Helen, and grandson Mark. Devoted husband to Aquilla for 59 years. Amazing Dad to Alfie (Mary), Randy, Sheila, Trixie (Dean), Glenn (Susan) and Melissa (Justin). Beloved grandfather to Robin (Jonathan), Stephen, Victoria, Abby, William, Libby and Lily. Also leaving to mourn brothers-in-law Bill and Kevin Wadman. The best provider of baloney to family dogs Cissy, Rusty, Miles, and Lexi (and Buddy Barrett). The family would like to thank the hard working doctors and nurses of St. Clare's Mercy for all they did for Alfred in his final days. Alfred was beloved by many and will be missed by all.
Visitation and Funeral Service will be held at Roman Catholic Church, Southern Harbour.
Visitation: Sunday, October 3, 2021, 2:30-4:30pm & 7:00-9:00pm
Monday, October 4, 2021, 2:00-4:00pm & 7:00-9:00pm
Funeral Service: Tuesday, October 5, 2021, 11:00am
Interment to be held at the Roman Catholic Cemetery, Southern Harbour following the service. Donations in his memory may be made to The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB). In keeping with COVID-19 regulations, anyone wishing to attend the funeral or visitations
should contact Sheila at 427-7049 or Victoria at 330-9106.

If we had asked him what he wanted his obituary to say, he would have said "nothing." Still, to all of us who had the pleasure and privilege of having him in our lives, that would never do. So, here goes our attempt at remembering someone who truly made the world a better place, Alfred Bernard Whiffen. Alf and Aquilla played 46,567 games of Crib. He loved Crib but loved Aquilla more; he never bragged when he skunked her. He always counted her cards to make sure she never missed a point earned, even though she could count as well as he could. And when playing with Joe and Melinda Slaney, he made sure he was on the losing team. Devoted husband? This is but one example. Randy says, "Dad was my inspiration." They practiced playing guitar and accordion and sang every day from the time Randy learned to play. Definitely more than 20,000 hours of playing and singing. They played for every family gathering, entertained the Foggy Bay Seniors, played at the Arnold's Cove Lions Club, and played for anyone who dropped in for a visit, if they stayed more than 35 minutes. Their CD "Better Late than Never" was released in 2012 and topped the charts in Southern Harbour and Burgeo for weeks. They aren't on Spotify yet, but stay tuned! As a new grandfather, he coined Aquilla "Granny,"… and it stuck. And then came the ice cream… plenty of ice cream. Trips "up da harbour to the shop" for ice cream, chips, bars, or whatever treats well-intentioned grandchildren felt were the healthiest treats they could buy. They loved every lick, bite, and gulp, and they laughed the whole way up and back. We're not sure how many pounds of treats they ate, but we are confident that he didn't help them develop a taste for Brussel Sprouts. Alf's Kitchen Parties were legendary. Boilers of soups, assorted "beverages" and endless jokes and songs until the wee wee hours. To end the night, he would stand on his head in the Living Room. We still aren't sure why. Jack Mulrooney was laughing so hard that when he was leaving one night, he left to walk home in the snow, in his socks. Aquilla caught him and reminded him to put his boots on, and all ended well. The floor joists had to be reinforced on several occasions over the years. Thank God for open basements. As the "Chief" (Chief Engineer) at Marine Atlantic, he had two roles. The official role: keep the ship running and get passengers and vehicles safely to their destinations. The other role: entertain anyone he encountered when he wasn't in the engine room. He entertained the crew in the Mess, played for the New Year's Eve Ball in Ramea when stuck in port that evening. He also entertained passengers and invited them for a visit to Southern Harbour if they were passing by. And they came… in droves. We don't have room for all of you at the funeral, but you know who you are! Determined to entertain until the end, on his best day in the ICU at St. Clare's Mercy Hospital, he challenged Trixie to sing a song. When she protested because she said she couldn't sing, he proceeded to sing "Pop Goes the Weasel" to the delight of the entire staff of Nurses and Doctors, who provided amazing care to him during his time there.
So please don't cry that he is gone… well, maybe cry a little. But, be happy that he was here and touched so many of us in such a special way. He is with the angels, and they are probably laughing and asking each other, "how long will he play tonight?"

Alfred married Living