PEORIA Richard Walters

– We lost an extraordinary man on October 18, 2021. Richard Lee Walters was born on February 4, 1928 in Canton, Ohio to George and Eura Walters. He graduated from Uniontown High School in 1945 when he was 17. Richard went to a technical engineering school near Chicago and then shortly after turning 18, he enlisted into the Navy. He was a navigator (and trombone player) on the USS Manchester, followed by the Admiral’s flagship, the USS Rochester. Richard was honored to have been selected to serve on the Admiral’s ship and cherished the privileges that afforded him, the high points of which were meeting Pope Pius XII at the Vatican and seeing the Red Sea and the Pyramids upon passage through the Suez Canal. He was proud to have served all over, including in the Mediterranean to help in Europe with recovery after the war. Upon an honorable discharge from the Navy, he decided to follow his parents out to Arizona.

Once settled in Phoenix, Richard got a job with the Post Office and served 35 years before retiring in 1983 at the age of 55. Prior to retirement, he achieved the rank of Assistant Postmaster General and often travelled to other cities to help them get a post office up and running or fill in until they got a new Postmaster. One of his last projects with the post office was designing and helping to open the new main post office on Van Buren Street.

Richard had an incredible work ethic and worked a second job for many years as his family was growing. He and his wife Hope had a total of seven kids, three from previous marriages and four together. They raised all of them together in a house that Richard built himself. He continued building many houses as a hobby, one for his parents to live in and others to rent out. Richard loved to fish, hunt, and camp, and explored every corner of Arizona over the years. He spent hours in his workshop tinkering, building things, shooting pool, and playing ping pong while the neighborhood kids frequently gathered and learned from him.

Richard could design and build anything, fix anything, and kept learning well into his 90’s. He had a green thumb and planted well over a hundred trees that he watered by hand for decades. Richard was super friendly and from the time the kids were young, no matter where they went in the U.S., they would run into someone that knew and loved Richard. He was known as a gentle giant and truly gracious, generous, and kindhearted. He had a great sense of humor and was a fiercely loyal friend. Up until last year, he was still researching stocks on the computer and keeping in touch with many people by email.

Richard was a devoted husband to Hope and they enjoyed their retirement in the house he built for them in Prescott. He loved to play card games, dominos, shoot pool, and play ping pong with anyone who stopped by. Richard had a lifelong love of dogs, from his German shepherd Babe growing up to his Princess from the pound in his retirement years. Richard and Hope spent many days at the Moose Lodge in Prescott where he won gold, silver, and bronze medals at the Arizona Senior Olympics in Table Tennis (ping pong) over the years. After Hope’s passing, Richard continued playing ping pong and could beat grandkids 60-70 years younger than him.

Richard was deeply loved and is survived by his daughters Christy (Peter) Dales, Cin (Jas) Mand, and Sue Cerqua, his stepson Tom (Marla) Bartoli, grandkids Jason (Sheena) Rowles, Margaret (Kyle) Brumbaugh and Veronica (Ben) Armstead, Nick (McKenna), Joey, Courtney (fiancé Alex), and Vinny Cerqua, Ammar and Darshan Mand, and Gabi and Alyssa Walters, great-grandkids Daniel, Sam, and Jaeleigh Rowles, Liesl Brumbaugh, Barrett and Wesson Armstead, Cali and Max Ervin, and Greyson Cerqua, nieces and nephews, and many more loved ones than can be noted here. Richard was preceded in death by his beloved wife Hope, sons Doug and Steve, son-inlaw Pete, stepdaughter Julie, and grandson Mason.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, November 6, 2021 from 2:00 pm until the Celebration of Life Service at 3:00 pm at Heritage Funeral Chapel, 6830 W. Thunderbird Rd., Peoria, AZ 85381.

In memory of Richard, please consider planting a tree or donating to any dog rescue or the Humane Society.

Services by Heritage Funeral Chapel (623) 974-3671 www.heritagefuneralchapels.com