Walter Smigel

Walter Smigel
November 11, 1937 - November 3, 2025
Walter Smigel, aged 87, passed away peacefully on November 3, 2025. He was born on November 11, 1937, in Middletown, Connecticut, to the late Walter Smigel Sr. and Helen (Wisniewski) Smigel. Walter was predeceased by his brother, Robert Smigel. He attended University of Hartford and Pratt Art Institute of NY. Walter also served in the Army Air Corps. He took up residence in Vieques, Puerto Rico, for over 20 years before returning to CT. For the last four years of his life, Walter resided in Marlborough, CT, surrounded by family. He was a long time Elks member, and had a deep love and appreciation for art. He is survived by his two sons, Andries (Chrissy Kryszat) of East Haddam, CT, and Anson and his wife, Jamie of Marlborough, CT, as well as his beloved grandchildren: Alaric, Aiyanna, Nolan, Evan, and Emmett. His absence will be profoundly felt by all who knew him.
Walter leaves us with this quote: "The mere cessation of existence is no evil to any one: the idea is only formidable through the illusion of imagination which makes one conceive oneself as if one were alive and feeling oneself dead. What is odious in death is not death itself, but the act of dying, and its lugubrious accompaniments: all of which must be equally undergone by the believer in immortality. Nor can I perceive that the skeptic loses by his skepticism any real and valuable consolation except one; the hope of reunion with those dear to him who have ended their earthly life before him. That loss, indeed, is neither to be denied nor extenuated." - John Stuart Mill