Walter Vennemeyer

July 22, 1942 - October 17, 2022

Walter Henry Vennemeyer died October 17 at the age of 80 from complications related to Alzheimer’s. Walt was a lifelong adventurer who loved hunting, camping, boating and anything with an engine. He was a passionate handyman, successful business owner, and proud Army veteran. Above all, he was dedicated to family, and he was surrounded by his family until the very end. He is survived by his wife, Joan, his sons, Eric and Christopher, his sister, Leona Anderson and nieces, Anne Marie and Kristin Anderson. He is also survived by numerous cousins in the San Francisco Bay Area, Cincinnati, Northern Germany and Austria, and by his beloved dog, Cooper.

Walt was born in San Francisco in 1942 to German and Austrian immigrants. His first language was German, and he continued to pepper German phrases into his English all his life. He attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory, but based on his own stories his primary interests during that time were customizing his hot-rodded ‘49 Ford, photography, and the independent school newspaper he founded after an undisclosed editorial dispute with the official paper. He went on to earn a bachelor’s from Santa Clara University, an MBA from the University of Oregon, and one third of a law degree from Hastings before being drafted into the Army and becoming the oldest recruit in his basic training platoon. Somewhere in between, he also found the time to get a civilian pilot’s license.

After leaving the Army, Walt moved to New York and worked in banking for several years before returning to his native San Francisco to work for

Crocker Bank. While Walt was employed at Crocker he met and married his wife of forty-six years, Joan. They ultimately bought a house in Mill Valley to which Walt added a standalone workshop, garden paddock, and (eventually) the world’s most elaborate tree house, all built by hand. The workshop doubled as a home office when Walt founded his own bond financing company, Progressive Capital, which he ran successfully for the rest of his life.

For Walt, self-employment offered freedom to continue going on the adventures he craved. He particularly loved riding his Harley around the Western United States and backpacking the Snow Mountain Wilderness area of the Mendocino National Forest, where he grew up hunting and fishing with his father. Once they were old enough, he brought his sons along so they could develop their own love for outdoor adventures.

Walter was buried with his parents, Poldi and Henry Vennemeyer, at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma. A celebration of life to be announced at a later date. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in Walter’s memory.