Walter Brothers

BROTHERS, Walter Hugh - Age 84, of Flint, died Wednesday, January 26, 2022, with his family by his side.

Cremation has taken place. A Committal Service with rendering of military honors will take place on Thursday, May 26, 2022 at 2:30 PM at Great Lakes National Cemetery, 4200 Belford Road, Holly, immediately followed by a Celebration of Life Service at Lake Fenton Township Hall, 12060 Mantawauka Dr., Fenton. Those desiring may make memorial contributions to PAWS Animal Rescue-Swartz Creek, Mich. (pawanimalrescue.net); Quilts of Valor Foundation (qovf.org); and the Michigan Woodcarvers Association Patriot Cane project (miwoodcarvers.com).

Walt was born October 22, 1937, in Lead, S.D., the son of Clayton and Catherine (Merow) Brothers. At the age of 17, he graduated from Spearfish High School in Spearfish, S.D. and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He re-enlisted twice during his 13 years of service, which included shore duty in Puerto Rico and Japan, and he was deployed on the U.S.S. Oriskany (CVA) aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War. Walt served as a naval photographer with assignments ranging from taking officers’ portraits to aerial surveillance photos.

On an auspicious evening in August 1962, while stationed at Port Arguello near Lompoc, Calif., Walt asked a lovely young teacher from Michigan to dance. Darlene Carter accepted the sailor’s invitation and, just a few months later, his proposal of marriage. They were wed on December 27, 1962, in Darlene’s hometown of Carson City, Mich.

Honorably discharged from the Navy in 1968, Walt received three Good Conduct medals; a Vietnam Service Medal with three bronze stars; a Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal; and the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon with bronze star. A proud, but also humble veteran, he never missed a chance to thank a fellow vet and he seldom was without his special veterans’ cap and hand-carved cane. In 2020, the Quilts of Valor Foundation bestowed upon Walt a handmade quilt to honor and thank him for his service and sacrifice in serving our nation.

Upon his discharge from the Navy, Walt and Darlene returned to Michigan with their two young daughters, Anne and Ellen, and settled in Flint, where Walt landed a sales position in the classified ads department of the city’s newspaper, The Flint Journal. In 1980, he took a position in the Flint district office of the U.S. Census Bureau, then in 1989, found his true calling when he began working for a home healthcare equipment company. A natural caretaker and social butterfly, Walt started out delivering equipment to patients and enjoyed assisting them with their needs, building a rapport and, most of all, learning about their lives. He retired as a customer service representative at Professional Breathing Associates in 2002. His closest colleague of 30 years, Ruthann Malin, has remained a very special friend.

Walt was known among family and friends for his culinary talents, especially his famous fudge. He enjoyed everything related to cooking and eating, including feeding others.

For decades, a favorite excursion was his weekly trip to the Flint Farmer’s Market to buy produce, chat with the vendors and encounter friends.

An autodidact, Walt was a self-taught, lifelong learner. Everyone, except for Darlene, was hard-pressed to beat him at Trivial Pursuit and word games. He studied history and current events, and drew knowledge and insight from everyone he talked to and shared personal experiences with, regardless of differing viewpoints. He said, “If you’re open to learning, you’re open to being a better person.”

Walt loved classical music and wrote poetry and Haiku. The family Christmas cards were embellished with his compositions, and he was inspired to write many other poems over the years.

Blessed with an uncommon blood type, Walt regularly donated at the American Red Cross and he was proud to have given a total of seven gallons over the years.

Further reflecting a commitment to the community, Walt and Darlene volunteered for 13 years with PAWS Animal Rescue. They rescued and fostered strays, and every Sunday helped with cat adoption events. Together, they made a great team and cultivated wonderful friendships with the other volunteers in the “rescue family,” all with a common goal to find forever homes for helpless animals.

Walt loved his wife, Darlene, and his daughters, Anne and Ellen, more than anything else in the world, and he looked forward to Ellen’s fiancé, Dave, becoming his son-in-law this summer.

Walt was a good man, husband, father, son, brother and uncle, as well as a good friend to all who had the honor of knowing him.  His legacy will live on through those who share a corny joke or pun, a good meal or game of cribbage, a piece of poetry or a kind and friendly word. His life reminds us to keep a thankful heart, lend a helping hand, donate blood, collect a wheat penny, watch a hummingbird in flight, rescue a cat, thank a veteran and take a trip to his beloved Black Hills of South Dakota. Most of all, Walt would encourage us to cherish every moment with family and friends.

Life’s Journey

Some drift along life’s currents
Accepting where they stray
Others chart a course deliberate
And steer by stars of choice
Each port of call an achievement
To celebrate with pride
At the final destination
The entries in the log
Will bear solemn witness
To a journey of success
Walter Hugh Brothers (2013)

Surviving Walt are his wife of 59 years, Darlene; daughters, Anne Brothers of Flint and Ellen Brothers (Dave Echols) of Fenton, Mich.; sisters, Judy Blair of Arizona, Eileen Landers of Colorado, Toni (Norman) Wiederich of Arkansas, and Patty (Ron) Ragsdale of Colorado; many nieces and nephews; his in-laws, the Carters, who he cherished as his second family; and special friends of 51 years, Ilene and Robert Segar.

Walt was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Jeanette “Jo" Senn; brother, Gerald Brothers; and nephew, Matthew Senn. Tributes to his life may be shared at www.sharpfuneralhomes.com.