Walter F. Currie, 91, died peacefully on November 3, 2025 with family at his side after a valiant, decade-long battle against cancer. An only son and proud Kentuckian, Walt was born in Louisville on February 11, 1934 to Floyd and Stella Currie.
During Walt's youth, his father owned and operated Currie Sound Systems, a small independent business providing loud speakers and microphones to stage productions, concerts, and local venues. Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, was one such venue. Walt would often tag along with his dad, initially to observe but later to help set up and disassemble sound equipment. As a consequence, Walt would develop a passion for stereo music, a talent for electronics, and an understanding of life as a small business owner.
Walt's big break occurred in 1950 when he met Catherine Louise Shelburn, a ukulele-playing 10th grade classmate at Atherton High. The two would date, finish high school together, and attend the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Walt entered the university's College of Engineering, joined the Air Force ROTC, pledged Phi Delta Theta, and graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Walt was a lifelong UK Wildcat, consistently donating to the university, dressing himself in Kentucky Blue, and cheering the school's athletic programs.
Following their studies in Lexington, Walt and Catherine married, moved to Bainbridge, Georgia where they bore their first son Scott (1957), and moved to Japan with the US Air Force where they bore their second son Beau (1959). Walt left active duty as a First Lieutenant in 1959, and he began civilian life in Atlanta as a private sector employee working for Honeywell International.
It didn't take long for Walt to chafe at life in the corporate trenches, so he and Catherine - young, healthy, fearless, and full of optimism - packed their possessions and took their talents to the Sunshine State. The two immediately founded Currie Aerospace Associates, an independent sales organization representing national electronics manufacturers. The company's first office was in the spare bedroom of their rented house on Louvre Avenue in Lake Conway Estates. Walt served as the company's sales engineer and Catherine served as secretary. Currie Aerospace Associates, later renamed Currie, Peak, and Frazier, Inc., eventually grew to employ 36 people.
Walt was a savvy individual investor and a perpetual student of the financial markets. A tireless advocate of duplex real estate economics, he and Catherine designed and built a 14-unit apartment building on a quiet Orlando street in 1969. Walt was thirty-five years of age at the time. It was a bold move for the young couple, and Palmer Terrace Apartments would become central to life in the Currie family for the next five decades.
Life in Central Florida brought an abundance of joy: a seventy-year marriage, a rich Orlando social life, sailing journeys on his 30-footer the Savoir Faire, countless Kentucky Derby parties, croquet matches at the Country Club of Orlando, slalom skiing on Lake Conway, bluegrass on the stereo, professional success, and an interest in classic English cars.
Walt was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. He was enormously proud of his brood, always eager to track developments in their lives. A big believer in the power of knowledge, Walt never failed to support the educational pursuits of his family. He believed people should understand how things worked - the heavens, an outboard motor, our place in history - and he was quick to teach what he knew. Walt was drawn to encyclopedias, reference books, and operating manuals, and he leaves a legacy of independence, self-reliance, and proficiency. He was a durable, private man, and he will be dearly missed.
He is survived in life by his wife Catherine Currie; his two sons Scott Currie (Liz) of Mosier, Oregon and Beau Currie (Mary) of Windermere, Florida; his five grandchildren Trevor Currie (Annie) of Missoula, Montana, Lucas Currie of Playa Grande, Costa Rica, Charles Summers (Anastasiya) of New York City, New York, Nathan Currie of Hailey, Idaho, and Amanda Summers (Geri) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The family will hold a private memorial service at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville during which Walt's cremated remains will be interred next to his father Floyd and his mother Stella in a section of the cemetery originally arranged by Colonel George E. Currie in 1894.
During Walt's youth, his father owned and operated Currie Sound Systems, a small independent business providing loud speakers and microphones to stage productions, concerts, and local venues. Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, was one such venue. Walt would often tag along with his dad, initially to observe but later to help set up and disassemble sound equipment. As a consequence, Walt would develop a passion for stereo music, a talent for electronics, and an understanding of life as a small business owner.
Walt's big break occurred in 1950 when he met Catherine Louise Shelburn, a ukulele-playing 10th grade classmate at Atherton High. The two would date, finish high school together, and attend the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Walt entered the university's College of Engineering, joined the Air Force ROTC, pledged Phi Delta Theta, and graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. Walt was a lifelong UK Wildcat, consistently donating to the university, dressing himself in Kentucky Blue, and cheering the school's athletic programs.
Following their studies in Lexington, Walt and Catherine married, moved to Bainbridge, Georgia where they bore their first son Scott (1957), and moved to Japan with the US Air Force where they bore their second son Beau (1959). Walt left active duty as a First Lieutenant in 1959, and he began civilian life in Atlanta as a private sector employee working for Honeywell International.
It didn't take long for Walt to chafe at life in the corporate trenches, so he and Catherine - young, healthy, fearless, and full of optimism - packed their possessions and took their talents to the Sunshine State. The two immediately founded Currie Aerospace Associates, an independent sales organization representing national electronics manufacturers. The company's first office was in the spare bedroom of their rented house on Louvre Avenue in Lake Conway Estates. Walt served as the company's sales engineer and Catherine served as secretary. Currie Aerospace Associates, later renamed Currie, Peak, and Frazier, Inc., eventually grew to employ 36 people.
Walt was a savvy individual investor and a perpetual student of the financial markets. A tireless advocate of duplex real estate economics, he and Catherine designed and built a 14-unit apartment building on a quiet Orlando street in 1969. Walt was thirty-five years of age at the time. It was a bold move for the young couple, and Palmer Terrace Apartments would become central to life in the Currie family for the next five decades.
Life in Central Florida brought an abundance of joy: a seventy-year marriage, a rich Orlando social life, sailing journeys on his 30-footer the Savoir Faire, countless Kentucky Derby parties, croquet matches at the Country Club of Orlando, slalom skiing on Lake Conway, bluegrass on the stereo, professional success, and an interest in classic English cars.
Walt was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. He was enormously proud of his brood, always eager to track developments in their lives. A big believer in the power of knowledge, Walt never failed to support the educational pursuits of his family. He believed people should understand how things worked - the heavens, an outboard motor, our place in history - and he was quick to teach what he knew. Walt was drawn to encyclopedias, reference books, and operating manuals, and he leaves a legacy of independence, self-reliance, and proficiency. He was a durable, private man, and he will be dearly missed.
He is survived in life by his wife Catherine Currie; his two sons Scott Currie (Liz) of Mosier, Oregon and Beau Currie (Mary) of Windermere, Florida; his five grandchildren Trevor Currie (Annie) of Missoula, Montana, Lucas Currie of Playa Grande, Costa Rica, Charles Summers (Anastasiya) of New York City, New York, Nathan Currie of Hailey, Idaho, and Amanda Summers (Geri) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The family will hold a private memorial service at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville during which Walt's cremated remains will be interred next to his father Floyd and his mother Stella in a section of the cemetery originally arranged by Colonel George E. Currie in 1894.
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