Leigh Carrington Whaley, Jr.

Leigh Carrington Whaley, Jr. passed from this life to the next on June 11, 2024 at Sunnyside Retirement Community in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Mr. Whaley was born at the University of Virginia Hospital on January 9, 1928, to Cecilia Thomas Whaley and Leigh C. Whaley. He had one younger sibling, Helen Owen Whaley. Mr. Whaley grew up and graduated from high school in Victoria, Virginia. In high school, he worked in the summers of 1944 and 1945 at Pine Island Camp in Belgrade, Maine, where he delighted in sailing and helping boys. He served in the Navy in 1946-48 and in the Merchant Marine immediately afterward. After his service, Mr. Whaley attended Hampden Sydney College and received a degree in Business at the University of Richmond; he completed graduate work at the Stonier School of Banking at Rutgers University. In 1957, Leigh Whaley married Mary Kathryn (“Mary K.”) Polsue at Christ Church Methodist in Charleston, West Virginia. They were married for 58 years, until Mary K.’s death in the fall of 2015, and had three children. Mr. Whaley was a commercial banker, working first as a bank examiner for the Federal Reserve and then serving banks in executive roles for banks in Front Royal, Bedford, Martinsville, Blacksburg, and Radford, Virginia. Mr. Whaley also served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Montgomery County Water Authority and as an elder at First Presbyterian Church and Northside Presbyterian Church in Blacksburg. Leigh Whaley loved his family and worked most of his life to provide for them. He is survived by his three children, Kathryn Whaley Pugh (Frank), of Leesburg, Virginia, Susan Whaley Walsh (David), of Mechanicsville, Virginia, and Cary Whaley of Silver Spring, Maryland. Mr. Whaley is also survived by six grandchildren, who lovingly referred to him as “Granddad.” He loved taking them out for breakfast in Blacksburg, Virginia and told them stories about Pine Island Camp, the Merchant Marine, his various pets, and loved to talk about Virginia Tech football and the magic of compound interest. He dearly loved taking sunset walks and giving peanuts to his friends and family every Christmas. Mr. Whaley was preceded in death by his wife, sister, and parents. A memorial service will be held later with burial at Oakhurst Cemetery in Clarksville, Virginia. Memorial donations may be made to Sunnyside Retirement Community, Harrisonburg, Virginia