HOPE — Air Force Lt. Col. Patrick J. Whelan died April 11, 2016, while serving at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam. He was born Dec. 1, 1969, at Otis Air Force Base in Mashpee, Mass. to Richard and Carole (Drinan) Whelan.

Patrick was a 1988 graduate of Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro, and a 1993 Graduate of the University of Maine at Orono. He was married in 1991 in Bangor to Heidi Curtis. His daughter, McKenzie, was born in 1993, and his daughter, Delaney, in 1995.

He was the fourth generation of his family to serve in the Air Force. His active duty service began in July of 1994 and took him and his family to Air Force bases around the U.S. and the world. During this time, Patrick earned a master’s degree in physiology from the University of Oklahoma. He served in New Jersey, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming, Romania, California (twice), Kuwait, South Dakota, Virginia and Guam. His service includes being an associate professor of biology at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., a squadron commander at Beale Air Force Base in California and again at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, Air Force liaison officer at the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, Calif., coordinator with Reserve Forces at Fort Belvoir, Va., and deputy commander of the 36th Mission Support Group at Anderson AFB, Guam. He was respected and admired by all who had the good fortune of working with him.

Patrick liked to tell people that he had an idyllic childhood, growing up on a farm in Washington, Maine. He helped to grow much of the family’s food, raising chickens, pigs, turkeys and a milk cow. He learned to drive his mother's pony put to a small cart. He astounded others with his artistic talent, which became apparent at an early age. He was free to be a wild child, roaming the countryside, often with a dog or his buddy, Matt. He and Matt once built a raft of their own design from junk found who knows where. It turned out not to be sea-worthy, but surprisingly small-pond-worthy.

He returned to Hope, where his parents now reside, as often as his military leave would allow. Whenever home, Patrick loved getting his hands dirty, so happy to help with any hard physical work.

Patrick loved all outdoor activities. When in Portland, he would hike with his dog on the city trails, their favorite being the Presumpscot River Preserve, where they would dive in for a swim. Baxter State Park and the Appalachian Trail were among his favorite Maine places. In 2014, Patrick and his father achieved their goal to cross Mt. Katahdin's Knife's Edge together. He had some hair-raising camping and canoeing ventures with Ben, his friend since high school. The frequent local hikes included friends, parents and any available dogs. While stationed in Monterey, Patrick and his daughter, Delaney, became members of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Patrick discovered his love for sea kayaking. He became a kayaking docent, educating visitors on water quality and helping to protect the sea otters in the National Marine Sanctuary. He was very active with the Western Sea Kayakers of California, whom he referred to as his "posse."

Among his happiest explorations was his January 2014 kayaking trip inspired by Sir Ernest Shackleton's famous journey. Beginning at the southern tip of South America, fellow kayakers sailed in a small vessel through Drake's Passage to Antarctica and back. The many experiences of this trip, some of which his parents were mercifully ignorant of at the time, were camping on ice floes, kayaking alongside breaching whales, managing to not look like sea leopard bait and experiencing the infamous volatility of the weather there.

Patrick was fortunate to have known his great-grandfather and name-sake, who lived in Washington, with the family for a while. In 2013, Patrick, his daughters, his father and other family members, traveled to Ireland and visited the village of Ballyporeen, where Patrick's great-grandfather had been born in a dirt-floored cottage.

Patrick was an entertainer at heart, with a wry comedic wit. He attended theater arts camp, was a juggler and performed balancing acts. An expert imitator and fan of Marshall Dodge and the Bert and I stories, George Carlin and others, we could always count on his gift for humor and perfect Maine accent to make us laugh. He was a devoted father and family man, always making sure his beloved daughters were exposed to many experiences wherever they were stationed, and that their interests and goals were supported. They have reflected this influence in their life paths with their love of learning, respect for the natural world, love of animals and amazing artistic ability.

Patrick is survived by his daughters, McKenzie of Boston, Mass., and Delaney of Portland; his wife, Heidi (Curtis) Whelan of Portland; his parents, Richard and Carole of Hope; and his wonderful aunts, uncles and cousins, countless friends around the country and the world.

Patrick lived his life as a beautiful example of what he wished for the world - that each of us would always be kind.

There is no service announcement at this time.

In lieu of flowers, donations made be made to: Friends of Baxter State Park, friendsofbaxter.org; your local or national Veterans for Peace; Avian Haven, avianhaven.org; or to anyone devoted to the kind care of people, animals and our earth.

Hall's of Waldoboro has care of the arrangements.