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Stephen Walter Obituary
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1 Entry
Norm Schutzkus
November 5, 2024
I met Steve back in the late 60's. He and his family lived across the street from my neighbor. Steve being 4 years older, his same-aged friends didn't live very close. Back then, we didn't have internet, or cell phones. Social media was the US mail, or hop on your bike and ride! Being close, proximity-wise was my greatest fortune!
An early encounter was during one winter. My sister and I were playing in the snow. Steve connived a sneak attack on us, crossing the street, cutting through our neighbor's front yard. He had a great arm and precise aim. His well packed snowballs squarely hit their targets! We tried to recover (thank goodness we were wearing layers of padding) and returned a fluff-snowball, yet loud vocal retaliatory response. Steve was too quick though. 1967 Left a record blanket of the white stuff, waist deep at a minimum throughout the Chicagoland area. Steve, being a cool pre-teen, didn't need to clasp the half-a-dozen metal buckles on his rubber boots. He turned and rocketed of there! My sister and I watched in-awe as he hopped & boogied back home in bare feet, his boots couldn't keep up! Over the following winters, my sister gave up helping me. "Steve throws too hard!" she said.
Over the summers, neighborhood boys and I tried to have decent softball games in the street. It was usually 5 of us against Steve, and we always got clobbered! His athletic talents were the best on our block! I recall in high school Steve was on the football team (playing both offence and defense), basketball team, and track & field team (sprinter and long-jump). His name was posted on the large field-house record board for many years, perhaps maybe still!
I recall summer nights camping out in our back yards. Steve's place was always much better because his dad would run an extension cord to our tent and plug in a portable TV, thus we could get our weekly dose of Saturday night "Creature Features" and "Svengoolie" shows. Back in the 70's with no cable, and no internet, our TV show selection was, well, it was what it was. Shows like Mr. Ed, Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, and a show about a boy who had a black bear as a friend called Gentle Ben. During one Saturday night camp out I´ll never forget, Svengoolie really cracked Steve up with an announcement. In his heavy, Transylvanian accent he said "Now for the X-Rated movie of the week! Gentle Ben's gone Bear!" It cracked Steve up for weeks that followed!
I am so blessed to have him as a friend, an older brother all those years. Back in the 70´s our families grew close and spent our vacations together at the Blue Top Resort in Fremont WI, or down at the Walter Farm in Southern IL as our frequent pleasure spots! As the years went on, Steve and I continued to share great memories, now with the loves of our lives and wonderful children, who all grew up being amazing young adults! Adding on Best Man and Godfather to his big-brother deeds.
I'll aways remember that whenever a situation turned serious, Steve's mom would call him out "Stephen Edward...!" Thus, now, I decree "Stephen Edward! You'll be with me all the days of my life!"
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