State Rep. Vermel Whalen dies, the funeral is Saturday, March 23, Whalen fought for children, consumers, she helped organize the only deputy bailiff's union in Northeast, Ohio, sponsored consumer advocate bills, helped the poor and disenfranchised, was active in the Black Women's PAC, Cuyahoga County Democratic Party
Vermel M. Whalen 1928-2013 By Kathy Wray Coleman , Editor of Cleveland Urban News.Com and The Kathy Wray Coleman Online News Blog,.Com ( www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com ) and ( www.clevelandurbannews.com ) CLEVELAND , Ohio- Retired State Rep. Vermel M. Whalen, who served in the Ohio House of Representatives for 12 years and helped to make or break politicians in the powerful Cleveland Ward 1 on the city's majority Black east side, died at her home in the Lee- Harvard community on March 13 after a brief battle with cancer. She was 84. Her funeral is at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 23, at Williams Temple Church of God and Christ in Cleveland, 6812 Woodland Ave. A former Cleveland Clinic nurse, labor and consumer advocate, youth supporter and community adviser who belonged to various community organizations including the Cleveland Chapter NAACP and The Black Women's Political Action Committee, Whalen helped Cle