WEHKING, Walter R.
Walter R. Wehking, husband of the late Marion Wehking, passed away peacefully Sept. 25, 2012, at the age of 94, with his daughters by his side. He was born June 28, 1918, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of Walter F. and Gertrude Wehking. A machinist by trade, he started his career with the American Can Co. in Cincinnati. He moved to southern California in 1951 to work at Hughes Aircraft and then to Sacramento in 1956 where he worked at Aerojet in the liquid engine department. He was fortunate to be chosen to travel to Cape Canaveral to witness the launching of the Atlantis Rocket, an engine he specifically worked on. He retired from Aerojet in 1982. He was a World War II veteran, serving in the Navy aboard ships in the South Pacific and the Philippines, where he was in training for landing craft driver in preparation for the invasion of Japan when the war ended. He married Marion Barnes May 18, 1946, and enjoyed 62 years together before her death in 2008. He was a devoted husband and father who enjoyed spending time with his wife and children. He loved the outdoors, fishing and hunting with his son, camping with the entire family and later teaching his grandchildren to snow ski. Son Michael and his wife Dana of Canterbury, CT, daughters Regina O'Neal of Roseville and Theresa Carroll and her husband Don of Newcastle survive him. Other survivors include five grandchildren: Brian O'Neal, Tracy Rapp (Phil), Jeffrey Carroll (Kim), Lyndsey Gregory (Jesse), Jessica Jones (Ryan), and one great-granddaughter, Abby Gregory. Sisters Shirley and Roselyn and brother Richard predeceased him. The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Eskaton Lodge Granite Bay and Bristol Hospice for the wonderful care and support they provided Walter and his family. Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial in his honor Saturday Oct. 20th at 11:30 AM at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in the Chapel, 7101 Verner Avenue, Sacramento, with a luncheon following at Vaiano Trattoria, 7160 Douglas Blvd., Granite Bay.
Published in The Sacramento Bee on October 14, 2012
