Edward Charles Walter

Edward Charles Walter passed peacefully on April 24, 2026, at 2:11 a.m. at Arlington Memorial Hospital in Arlington, Texas.

Ed was born on June 7, 1943, in Rochester, New York, to Louis Edward Walter and Lois Bernise (Knitter) Walter. He attended Wheatland-Chili Central School in Scottsville, New York, graduating with the Class of 1961.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Bernise “Bunny” (Walter) Boutwell; nephew David Boutwell; sister-in-law Beverly (Campbell) Mueller; and brother-in-law George Mueller.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Barbara Jean (Campbell) Walter; his son, Edward Matthew Walter and husband Brian Williams; his daughter, Amy (Walter) Drescher and husband Dennis Drescher; and his cherished grandchildren, Christian Drescher and Elizabeth “Ellie” Drescher.

He is also survived by his niece, Linda E. Boutwell; niece Inge (Mueller) Munnings, her daughter Dayna Moon (Jim), and their children, Mason and Reagan; nephew Greg Mueller and wife Teresa (Knoebel), and their children, Lucien and Karla; along with many cousins and dear friends.

Ed and Barb were married on March 19, 1965, at Union Presbyterian Church in Scottsville, New York. In 1964, Ed enlisted in the United States Navy Civil Engineer Corps -Seabees, beginning a remarkable 32-year military career. He was an Engineering Aide retiring in 1996 with the rank of Master Chief.

Throughout his Navy service, Ed traveled extensively around the world. He served during the Vietnam War and was stationed in Oxnard and San Diego, California; Guantánamo Bay, Cuba; Gulfport, Mississippi; Honolulu, Hawaii; and London, England, with assignments that also took him to Midway Island and Diego Garcia. During his assignment in Hawaii, Ed traveled throughout the Pacific supporting Seabee detachments in Alaska, Japan, Guam, Korea, the Philippines, and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands.

Following his retirement from the Navy, Ed and Barb returned to Scottsville, New York, where Ed continued working in various construction and maintenance roles. He became an active member of the Smith-Warren American Legion Post 367 in Scottsville and proudly served several years as Post Commander.

Eventually, Ed and Barb moved to Missouri to be closer to family, where Ed officially “retired.” Anyone who knew Ed knew retirement simply meant finding new ways to serve and stay busy. Together, Ed and Barb continued their love of travel and adventure, visiting many places around the world. Through “Are We There Yet?” tours, they especially enjoyed their annual trips to Mackinac Island and many other destinations. Among their favorite adventures were cruising the Rhine River in Germany and an Alaskan land-and-sea tour that included whitewater rafting.

After moving to Missouri, Ed and Barb became members of Dardenne Presbyterian Church, where Ed served as a deacon and worked with the grounds and maintenance committee. Drawn to the church’s strong commitment to mission work, Ed used his construction expertise to help coordinate projects with Restore St. Charles. He also volunteered with Edge Outreach and The Shoeman Water Projects, eventually serving as Board President for Strategic Water Teams.

In 2011, Ed joined Continuing Promise 2011 aboard the USNS Comfort on a five-month humanitarian mission serving nine countries throughout the Caribbean and Central and South America. During the mission, Ed focused on providing clean water for the medical staff and safe drinking water for patients waiting to receive medical care. Through his work with Strategic Water Teams, Ed made many trips to Haiti, where he helped install water purification systems and trained local villagers to maintain them. He loved sharing the story of being the first person to drink from each newly completed system — because if the “western man” drank the water, the villagers knew it was safe for them too.

Ed’s mission work continued after he and Barb moved to Haltom City, Texas, where they joined Trinity Presbyterian Church in Southlake. There, Ed served as a deacon, sang in the men’s choir, worked on the maintenance and grounds committee, and faithfully served with the church’s Serve Team. Through these ministries, Ed helped with monthly food drives supporting Community Storehouse, assisted families with maintenance projects at Christ Haven Cottage 3, and prepared and delivered lunches to the Presbyterian Night Shelter.

Ed also joined a volunteer team that traveled annually to Guadalajara, Mexico, supporting the Fundación Emmanuel Orphanage and Talita Cumi School. During these trips, Ed organized and completed countless construction and maintenance projects for both facilities. Ed even took a trip to Kenya with Changing Lenses, Changing Lives in search of clean water to help the local village.

In September 2025, Ed’s health changed dramatically when he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Even during treatment, he remained active in serving at Trinity Presbyterian Church and helping others. Complications eventually caused his health to decline, and he entered hospice care.

Before his passing, Barb lovingly whispered to Ed, “go see your family, they’re waiting. We will be okay, I love you. Go, God has a toilet that needs fixing.” Ed smirked, and later that morning, passed peacefully. Ed’s wishes were to be cremated and buried at White Haven Memorial Park in Pittsford, New York, alongside Barb’s parents.

A celebration of life will be held at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Southlake, Texas, on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Central Time.A second celebration of Ed's life will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Union Presbyterian Church in Scottsville, New York. Family and friends are invited to a luncheon immediately following the service at the Smith-Warren American Legion Post #367. Interment with military honors will follow at White Haven Memorial Park, 210 Marsh Road, Pittsford, New York.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Fund, the Seabee Museum (https://www.seabee.org/support/donate/), the Trinity Presbyterian Church Serve Team (https://trinitysouthlake.org), or your favorite charity.