James Michael “Mike” Whaley, 76

James Michael “Mike” Whaley passed away at age 76 on Jan. 3, 2022, at his home surrounded by his wife Diana, son Chad and his wife Jennifer, and family.

Mike was born in Monett, Mo., to Anna Mae and Jack Whaley and came to Idaho at the age of 2. He graduated from Wallace High School in 1963 and joined the army with his future brother-in-law on the buddy system. He did his basic training at Fort Hood, then moved to Fort Bragg. After basic training, he was sent to Nha Trang, Vietnam with the 14th Engineer Battalion in 1965.

He came home after a year and started working for the Coeur d’Alene Warehouse that supplied mining equipment. He then moved to Coeur d’Alene and got a job at Potlatch Lumber Co. where he stayed until the cedar got to him. In the early 70s, he went to Chicago, Ill., to start driving for Bekin’s Moving for a few years until his son, Chad was born. He came back home and got a job with the Coeur d’Alene Street Department and stayed there until he retired after 18 years.

Mike loved his 67 GTO and taking it to car shows around Coeur d’Alene and the Silver Valley.

He was preceded in death by his parents Anna Mae and Jack Whaley, his grandparents, and great-grandparents. He is survived by his wife, Diana after 51 years of marriage, son, Chad Whaley (wife, Jennifer), and grandson, Jackson.

There will be a graveside service with military honors at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2022, at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens, 7315 N Government Way, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83815.

Yates Funeral Home is entrusted with final arrangements. Please visit Mike’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at yatesfuneralhomes.com.