Walter Nathaniel O'Roark Jr.

1934 - 2023

Walter Nathaniel O'Roark, Jr. died peacefully at his home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on June 1, 2023. He had celebrated his 89th birthday only weeks before. The son of Walter Nathaniel O'Roark, Sr. and Sadie Lockett O'Roark, Walt was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on May 7, 1934. He graduated from Byrd High School in 1952. The baby of the family and the only son, he garnered loving attention from his two older sisters who were 15 and 13 when he was born. He grew up in a loving and supportive family. Sharing good food and enjoying sports together marked daily life. The O'Roark Family avidly supported Centenary College. As a toddler, Walt was the football team's mascot, the "Little Gent." Walt was a stellar athlete, excelling at basketball and baseball. He lettered in four sports while playing under the tutelage of his father who coached Walt's American Legion team to multiple championships. An expert of the game, a purist regarding the sport, Walt actively played or closely followed college baseball for almost nine decades. When major league scouts sought the skills of a talented first baseman on Atkins Avenue, the chance to play professional baseball literally knocked on his door. He fielded offers from numerous organizations, including the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Chicago Cubs, and the Detroit Tigers, but his father and mentor encouraged him to go to college instead. Walt then chose to play baseball at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas after accepting his father's counsel. Walt transferred to LSU to pursue a degree in geology. He earned both a B.S. and a Masters, finishing in 1958. He loved his years at LSU and became a devoted fan. He was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. It was at LSU that he married the mother of his children, Bettyrene Kimball of New Roads. Following a short time as a geologist in New Orleans, a wise boss coaxed Walt into the land department, recognizing that Walt's people skills soared off the chart. He moved to Lafayette in 1960 where he enjoyed a successful career as both a company landman and independent broker. With his legendary sense of humor, Walt transformed any gathering. He was a clever and witty man whose quips are often repeated by his loving family today. He honored his friends by bestowing special names; many are still known by their nicknames first coined by Walt. Greater, though, than his keen wit was his kind heart. His family will forever remember how he put love first, how he treasured his clan, how he valued his friends. This is his legacy. He was an old-fashioned gentleman of the truest form, a person who embraced the simplest things of life. Walt was a planner, an organizer, an initiator of family gatherings, believing that any ordinary day was reason enough to celebrate. As patriarch he fostered in his children and grandchildren the importance of family. He loved to "draw a crowd" and instituted a family reunion centered around the annual LSU-Auburn football game. He was known to sit in the lobby of a hotel awaiting everyone's arrival and then again late each night, holding court, not wanting the fellowship to end. Walt witnessed many LSU sporting events in his lifetime, notably three national championships in football and three national championships in baseball. He and his son Walt, III began the tradition of attending the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska in 1997. From that year forward, they followed LSU to the CWS every year the team made it there. Walt gave expressive and personal meaning to "The Road to Omaha." Without doubt, the postseason in college baseball was his favorite time of year. Walt was predeceased by his parents, his eldest sister Charlie McBride, and his son-in-law Pit Hesterly. He is survived by his sister Lorraine Bruce and his three adoring children: Walter O'Roark, III and his wife Bell deGravelle, Elizabeth Hesterly, and Rebecca Voyles and her husband Russell Voyles, and their mother Betsy Vigorito. He is also survived by four grandchildren: James Pitman Hesterly, III and his wife Natalie Tuminello, Miles Crocker Hesterly and his wife Courtney Sykes, Alexandra Voyles Smith and her husband Rory Smith, and Margaret Kimball O'Roark. He is also survived by six great grandchildren: Grace, Charles, Adriel, Trevor, Kayden, and Tatum, and numerous McBride and Bruce family members. Visitation with family will be held at 10 am on Thursday, June 8 in the Owen Room at Episcopal Church of the Ascension. Funeral service will be held at 11 am in the Sanctuary. A reception will be held afterwards at the home of his daughter Elizabeth. Pallbearers will be William Henderson Bruce, Jr., Steve Avocato, Leo Bader, Chip Chesteen, Larry Dickerson, Don Morgan, Richard Powell, Tommy Smart, and Steve Venturatos. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Walt's honor to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (www.JDRF.com) or any philanthropy of your choice.