Walter Robert Rundlett

Walter Robert Rundlett passed away on Monday July 15th 2024 at the age of 93. Much to the chagrin of his finer-haired family, Walter had a luxurious head of silver hair until the day he died.

He is survived by his wife Joan; his daughters Debra Rundlett and Lisa Groux; his daughters-in-law Karen Rundlett and Teresa Rundlett; his grandchildren Christine Rundlett, Margaux Groux, Billy Rundlett, and Maddie Rundlett; and his grandchildren Amelia Scott, Noah Scott, and Ethan Scott. He is predeceased by his brother Wilfred Rundlett Jr.; his children Mark Rundlett, Scott Rundlett, and Julie Rundlett; and his grandson Michael Rundlett.

Walter was born on August 9, 1931 to Wilfred Rundlett and Lena Rundlett (neé Caughey) of Waltham, Massachusetts. He graduated from Waltham High School and attended courses at Northeastern University. He joined the US Air Force in 1952 and served as a flight engineer in the Korean War. As a Staff Sergeant on a C-119 "Flying Boxcar", one of his roles included helping nervous comrades parachute from the plane with a helpful push.

Walter had known his wife Joan (neé Beamish) since elementary school and shared many friends in common (the "Waltham Gang"), but it wasn't until after graduating from high school that Joan noticed he was writing her an awful lot of letters for being "just a friend." That friendship turned into a life-long love and 71 years of marriage. Walter married Joan in 1952 and the couple honeymooned in New York City and Washington, DC. They showed their love for each other first through music when they were young (Walter would play the violin and Joan would sing), and later in life by reminding each other to take their pills.

Walter's family will remember his kind, gentle demeanor and a hint of a mischievous streak. He didn't demand attention, instead choosing to chime in intermittently with an eye-roll inducing joke. He was often found sitting peacefully in his favorite chair at Camp Wulamat where sudoku puzzles would melt into summertime naps. Peace is not always possible for a father of five extroverts, but he had his ways. He pioneered a parenting technique for clearing the living room of raucous kids: announce a trip to get ice cream and tell everyone to wait in the car (they're still waiting).

He had the patient disposition for fishing, which he enjoyed both at Tall Timbers Lodge and Newfound Lake. His grandchildren will remember his kindness and never-ending offers of a blanket if it was chilly, a flashlight if it was dark, or a piece of fruit if you might get hungry on the road.

In high school he was a talented hockey player and was selected as a Bay State All-Star in 1950. He was also a great player of any and all board games, including cribbage, progressive rummy, and Sequence. He played thousands of scrabble games, mostly with Joan, and was known for his command of the 2-letter word list and a penchant for shall we say, creative, spelling. (We're still questioning the validity of "trooplings" on a triple word score.)

He had a successful career as a stone mason where he worked on many institutional buildings (including the First Federal Church in Hudson and an academic building at Harvard) and private homes throughout New England. He often had cement stuck under his fingernails and his trademark was tucking a few pennies into the grout on the side of his work. He worked well into his eighties and there was never an official moment of retirement but rather just a slow process of finally heeding Joan's call to stop working so much.

He and Joan had a rich social life with an impressive crew of friends. They traveled frequently to the Caribbean and to Maine with a group of other couples. Since there were 10 of them, they donned the name "The Decadents".

Walter knew how to enjoy life; despite being a diabetic he never seemed to change his diet one iota and continued to derive great joy from pie at the holidays. But really the joke is on us for nagging him over the years because he lived a very long and happy life. May he find peace (and pie) in the afterlife.

His family plans to hold a private celebration of life.