Walter was my grandpa. And he was practically perfect! He was sweet, funny, smart, athletic, and musically talented.
Born on July 4, he was the eldest son of German immigrants to Milwaukee. After completing a teacher's certificate in Milwaukee, he earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and a Master's Degree from Columbia University.
He married Helen Behnke in 1928, just before moving to New York. They were married for 45 years before he died, and even then, I remember he would always hug her or wink at her whenever he came into a room where she was. I've never seen another couple so devoted.
The Depression began just after Walter got his Master's Degree, and he went back to teaching for a few years until he could get a job as a chemist at DuPont. His salary went down instead of up, and at one point he even tried selling vacuum cleaners.
However, in 1940, their economic luck turned, and Walter got a job teaching chemistry in the Panama Canal Zone. They lived there for 25 years, until he retired, and their daughter JoAnn was mostly raised there.
In addition to teaching and chemistry, Walter played violin beautifully (and gave lessons), spoke German, and was a champion track and field athlete as a young man. He also gardened and collected stamps after retirement, sang in his church choir, and acted as church treasurer. He was a man who was always interested in lots of things, and lots of people. He loved to joke and play cards. His wife and daughter and her family were central to him, and after retirement, he and Helen moved to Tennessee to live near JoAnn. We were so lucky to have him.
Born on July 4, he was the eldest son of German immigrants to Milwaukee. After completing a teacher's certificate in Milwaukee, he earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and a Master's Degree from Columbia University.
He married Helen Behnke in 1928, just before moving to New York. They were married for 45 years before he died, and even then, I remember he would always hug her or wink at her whenever he came into a room where she was. I've never seen another couple so devoted.
The Depression began just after Walter got his Master's Degree, and he went back to teaching for a few years until he could get a job as a chemist at DuPont. His salary went down instead of up, and at one point he even tried selling vacuum cleaners.
However, in 1940, their economic luck turned, and Walter got a job teaching chemistry in the Panama Canal Zone. They lived there for 25 years, until he retired, and their daughter JoAnn was mostly raised there.
In addition to teaching and chemistry, Walter played violin beautifully (and gave lessons), spoke German, and was a champion track and field athlete as a young man. He also gardened and collected stamps after retirement, sang in his church choir, and acted as church treasurer. He was a man who was always interested in lots of things, and lots of people. He loved to joke and play cards. His wife and daughter and her family were central to him, and after retirement, he and Helen moved to Tennessee to live near JoAnn. We were so lucky to have him.
Walter was my grandpa. And he was practically perfect! He was sweet, funny, smart, athletic, and musically talented.
Born on July 4, he was the eldest son of German immigrants to Milwaukee. After completing a teacher's certificate in Milwaukee, he earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and a Master's Degree from Columbia University.
He married Helen Behnke in 1928, just before moving to New York. They were married for 45 years before he died, and even then, I remember he would always hug her or wink at her whenever he came into a room where she was. I've never seen another couple so devoted.
The Depression began just after Walter got his Master's Degree, and he went back to teaching for a few years until he could get a job as a chemist at DuPont. His salary went down instead of up, and at one point he even tried selling vacuum cleaners.
However, in 1940, their economic luck turned, and Walter got a job teaching chemistry in the Panama Canal Zone. They lived there for 25 years, until he retired, and their daughter JoAnn was mostly raised there.
In addition to teaching and chemistry, Walter played violin beautifully (and gave lessons), spoke German, and was a champion track and field athlete as a young man. He also gardened and collected stamps after retirement, sang in his church choir, and acted as church treasurer. He was a man who was always interested in lots of things, and lots of people. He loved to joke and play cards. His wife and daughter and her family were central to him, and after retirement, he and Helen moved to Tennessee to live near JoAnn. We were so lucky to have him.
Born on July 4, he was the eldest son of German immigrants to Milwaukee. After completing a teacher's certificate in Milwaukee, he earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago and a Master's Degree from Columbia University.
He married Helen Behnke in 1928, just before moving to New York. They were married for 45 years before he died, and even then, I remember he would always hug her or wink at her whenever he came into a room where she was. I've never seen another couple so devoted.
The Depression began just after Walter got his Master's Degree, and he went back to teaching for a few years until he could get a job as a chemist at DuPont. His salary went down instead of up, and at one point he even tried selling vacuum cleaners.
However, in 1940, their economic luck turned, and Walter got a job teaching chemistry in the Panama Canal Zone. They lived there for 25 years, until he retired, and their daughter JoAnn was mostly raised there.
In addition to teaching and chemistry, Walter played violin beautifully (and gave lessons), spoke German, and was a champion track and field athlete as a young man. He also gardened and collected stamps after retirement, sang in his church choir, and acted as church treasurer. He was a man who was always interested in lots of things, and lots of people. He loved to joke and play cards. His wife and daughter and her family were central to him, and after retirement, he and Helen moved to Tennessee to live near JoAnn. We were so lucky to have him.
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MARRIED JUNE 30, 1928
