John F. Walter, Jr.
June 15, 1946-September 26, 2024
John passed away peacefully on September 26, 2024, surrounded by his family.
He was born in Ottumwa, Iowa, on June 15, 1946, to John and June Walter. He was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Donna; children, Jennifer (Chris), Andy (Sarah); grandchildren, Annie and Ben; siblings, Mary Ann, Jim (Elaine); and brother-in-law, Wendell (Sue).
John received a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering from Iowa State University and his MBA at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. John served in the US Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.
John started and ended his career at Lueder Construction, working at various companies in between. He took great pride in the projects he worked on, many that live on today across Nebraska and Iowa.
Biking was John’s passion, and he participated in multiple RAGBRAI rides, getting the biking bug from cousins: Paul, Gerald and Mark. He participated in BRAN as a rider, planning committee member, and stationary sag. He also biked with the Omaha Peddlers and participated in their annual OWL ride.
John rode many miles on his single bike, but especially enjoyed riding on the tandem bike with his wife. And being the engineer/detail oriented person he was, he recorded the lifetime tandem mileage at 32,689 miles.
John loved traveling with his wife, Donna, and together they visited over 30 countries. They also enjoyed ballroom dancing together.
From an early age, John developed a love for baseball from family train trips to Chicago to watch the White Sox play. His love for the sport spilled over into coaching his kids’ little league teams and a stint on the neighborhood softball team. He took his son, Andy, on a Major League Baseball bus trip to see baseball games in 7 cities over 8 days.
He seated many a person in a pew at Morning Star Lutheran Church, and would like to believe that his ushering crew was responsible for the highest attendance records.
Iowa called him back regularly to the wonders of the Iowa State Fair, and he even accepted and completed the pork tenderloin challenge with the t-shirt to prove it.
In retirement, John loved driving Holocaust survivors to speaking engagements at various schools throughout the Omaha area.
John’s happy place in later years was sitting in his chair outside, reading, doing crosswords, listening to music, visiting with neighbor, Gordon, and his dog Ginger, snoozing, and monitoring the going ons of the neighborhood. He also enjoyed frequent phone conversations with his brother, Jim.
He was proud of his family and enjoyed traveling to visit them. When grandchildren were born, he went out of his way to personalize thoughtful gifts for them.
He found thoughtful ways to connect with the people he cared about, such as: giving copies of his favorite Christmas book, The Shepard, cutting out and sending crossword puzzles and articles of interest from the New York Times to family and friends, sending post cards from RAGBRAI to his family and friends, repurposing his childhood marbles into a colorful framed art for his grandchildren, making handmade Christmas ornaments and gifts for his family, sharing his “dad jokes” with those who appreciated (and didn’t appreciate) his humor, and writing John and Donna’s annual Christmas letter which always ended with a quote or song lyric meaningful to him. One particular ending frequently used was:
As a well-known Midwest radio show says: It has been a quiet week in John and Donna Land. “It’s been cold but then of course it’s Christmas. Anyway, cold is the stimulant of sound thinking. We know that. There’s nothing like cold to bring you back to reality, and the reality is we are very lucky.”
PRAYER SERVICE: Sunday, September 29, 2024, 7:00PM at West Center Chapel, 7805 West Center Road, Omaha with VISITATION from 5:00-7:00PM.
FUNERAL SERVICE: Monday, September 30, 2024, at 10:30 AM at West Center Chapel.
INTERMENT with MILITARY HONORS: Monday, September 30 at 2:30PM at Omaha National Cemetery, 14250 Schram Road, Omaha.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Omaha Food Bank or to a charity of your choice.
To view live Broadcasts of the Services, please visit www.heafeyheafey.com and click the “Live Cast” button at the top of the homepage.
4 Comments
Oh Donna and family…words cannot express my sadness. John was one of the good guys that if person had a breakdown on the highway…there was John. He was so kind, positive, and loved his family.
Dear Donna, Jen, Andy,
I am so very sorry for your loss. I will miss seeing John sitting in his chair securing our block. No shenanigans on Barabara. Loved watching you both get all geared up for your bicycle built for two rides. John made sure to look over the bike ensuring a safe journey for you both. He was a good neighbor and friend for over 30yrs.
Donna
My condolences and prayers go out to you. Thank you for sharing all that was happening and how you were doing at our church council retreat. Your extended family at Morning Star is a real blessing and I know you will find some comfort in the love and support.
I started riding BRAN 10 years ago and that is how I met John. He always had a smile, a bit of conversation and the offer of a chair for a bit at his SAG stop. My thoughts and prayers are with him and family as I know he will be missed.
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