Obituary: Estelle, Walter
Age 81
Walter’s Glory day was January 9, 2015.
He persevered with a rapidly declining lung disease.
While waiting for family and two pastors to arrive he continued to breathe the oxygen provided while per- severing in pain.
In very sacred moments he had the tenacity to allow us in to the bridge between this world and the next.
The harp played, family sang hymns, and his pastor read scripture.
It was sacred.
When he was breathing on his own you could see the dogged determination that characterized his life.
It was peaceful but his tenacity shown through.
Walter along with his identical twin, Wayne, were born at the height of deprivation during the depression.
On September 26, 1933 the twins were born in their house in Whittier, CA., to Maxine and Ward Estelle.
They had an older brother, Jim and an older sister, D’ann.
Ward worked in the prisons so they moved from Chino to San Quinten and finally Folsom.
Maxine became a vocational nurse at mid-life.
They persevered despite the challenges of the time.
Perseverance was seen in many activities growing up.
Walter was committed to 4-H, raising the grand champion pig (with his twin) at the California State Fair.
He ran track and cross country where the tenacity to run through the pain, was bred.
He graduated from U.C.
Davis where he met Marlene Gunn his future bride.
He was staunchly committed to his wife and family.
He was married to Marlene for 58 years.
He prayed for his children and grandchildren on a daily basis.
He was an elder and later an ordained pastor in the PC, USA, a Scout Leader and taught his children how to field a ball.
As a part of his commitment to marriage, Walter spent more than 30 years of active worldwide leadership in Presbyterian Marriage Encounter.
He and Marlene traveled to Kenya (four times), Peru, the United Kingdom, and Cameroon to help build strong marriages.
After college and a tour of duty as an officer in the Army.
Walter worked for a family owned national agribusiness called Pestcon.
During this time, he fumigated some of the grain silos here in Spokane.
Walter gave up a business career to enter into graduate school to become an ordained pastor when his last child was in high school.
Instead of merely planning for retirement, he chose to serve the world.
He chose to learn to serve others with love, compassion, hope, and inspiration.
Walter was an inspiration to so many through his example of perseverance, and also of love, compassion and hope.
The truth of dad’s perseverance and hope was expressed in his deep and abiding faith in Christ.
His strength, and determination, dignity, humor and love for others were expressed from his genuine faith on a daily basis.
His humble and quiet, yet genuinely expressed faith often left an impression on people.
Romans 8:28 states, “And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”
Dad’s devotion and purpose in his later years of life, was to live for helping others.
Walter wanted to know and share in the Love of Christ with others.
He found great strength in his deep and abiding faith.
This enabled him and to persevere in whatever circumstances he experienced.
Walter was a circuit minister to three small churches in John Day Valley, OR., after that he served a single church in Davenport, WA.
After a cardiac incident, Walter showed tremendous tenacity in returning to work when he easily could have retired.
He then served as the Associate Executive Presbyter with the Presbytery of the Inland Northwest where he was instrumental in positioning lay pastors in small rural churches.
On February 11, 2012 Walt met his biggest challenge.
While vacationing in Kauai he had a catastrophic fall and ended up completely paralyzed from the neck to the feet, but maintained a sound mind.
Directly after his accident, he was in severe pain (they termed this condition the “ring of fire”) with a crushed spinal cord and nerve damage.
He was a man of dignity, courage and deep faith during this most excruciating pain.
His response brought tears to many health care workers tending to him in Kauai.
He offered humor, kindness, depth of courage and genuine compassion toward others around him even in the midst of this intense pain.
With surgery, physical therapy and months of dogged determination he regained the ability to walk partially.
He could have remained in his power wheel chair the rest of his life, but he chose to walk through the pain.
That perseverance will forever challenge us to rise to life’s adversity.
Walter was a man of deep and genuine faith.
His faith resembled a true and honest expression of love in every interaction.
He was gentle, kind and gracious to others, even in his final hours.
After years of intensive nursing and physical therapy care, it was important to him to know the name and the life circumstances of those who were serving him.
Even on the very last day of his life, he left an impression with his way of being loving and kind with others, expressing his faith in an evident and believable manner.
His perseverance, his faith in Christ and love for others, will forever leave an impression on those who were so blessed to know him.
We have so much gratitude for the man who showcased genuinely that Christ, above all else, is the real expression of love incarnate and the real reason for life.
Walt was humble, quiet, loving and careful to be aware of those around him in tangible ways.
His life will forever inspire us to seek and find the substance of a living faith in God who draws us close to Himself as we draw near to Him.”
Thank you Walter.
Services for Walter will be at Shadle Park Presbyterian Church on Friday, January 30th at 2:00 pm.
A Memorial Reception will follow.