Walter Ambrose Fletcher

Walter was born on June 23, 1941, in Kingsburg, California, as the second oldest of seven children. He often relayed stories about his adventures growing up on what he referred to as "the island," located on the Kings River, where his family lived off the land and where he and his brothers spent a lot of time fishing and hunting.
He met his future wife Linda Mittie in Selma, California and married her in March 1962. They lived 46 years of joyful life together in Mountain View until Linda passed away in 2008.
Walter died peacefully in his home on August 13, 2023, surrounded by his loving family. He bravely battled an aggressive illness and fought to survive; he was so strong that he maintained a brawny hand grip right up until the end of his life, at 82 years old.
Ever since Walter was a little boy, he wanted to be a garbage man and have a family. Both of his wishes came true. He worked hard as a garbage man for PSSI in Stanford for 60 years. Being a dedicated worker, he did not wish to retire, but he was fortunate to work up until he was 81 years old.
After eventually (but reluctantly) retiring, he kept himself busy going to work with his daughter Stephanie, helping out with her garden jobs,
and with his son Rodney, coming along with him to construction job sites. He also enjoyed spending time with his family and friends, going for walks and rides to the neighborhood senior center, and relating endless stories about his work, his upbringing in Kingsburg on the river, as well as his fishing and work adventures.
He also achieved his dream of being a loving husband and father, and with Linda, to raise four kids in their Mountain View home, living there from 1964 to the end of his life.
He was a family man and always made the effort to spend quality time with Linda and their four children Laurie, Walter Jr., Rodney, and Stephanie and adopted neighborhood Kids too. Walter was constantly productive. He would rise early to go to work, then would come home to assist Linda with household duties, work in the garden, and take care of the family pets.
Outdoor activities were his favorite, like fishing, camping, and bike riding. He often rode his blue three-wheeler bike around the neighborhood until a few weeks before he passed.
He cherished his time with his daughter, Stephanie, who lived with him from 2018 until his death. He loved going to the casino especially at Jackson Rancheria with his brother John and sister-in-law Linda - "The Three Amigos," as they were known.
He enjoyed going to the movie theater, frequently exclaiming, "Let's go to the show!"
Walter enjoyed fishing as often as he could, watching WWF wrestling, and working as a handyman on vehicles and various other projects. He especially enjoyed working outdoors and helping out his family and friends.
He loved all kinds of food, including Fish, Barbecue, and Hawaiian chicken katsu. He enjoyed cooking, especially his deep-fried fish with his homemade beer batter, and having guests over. Walter rose daily to start the day with his several cups of coffee and well known by many, he had a weakness for dessert at the end of the day.
Walter will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, and friend. All who knew him, recall him, Always wanting to give a hug to everyone!
He is survived by his four children Laurie, Walter Jr., Rodney (Flo), and Stephanie and blessed with seven grandchildren, Sharon (Andrew), Charles, Robert, Laura (David), David, Elisa, Madeline, and great-grandchild Kalona (from Sharon and Andrew), his brothers, Alvin and Robert Fletcher. He was preceded in death by his sister Pauline and brothers Melvin, John, and Raymond.
He treasured his entire family and friends. Walter will be fondly remembered for his strong work ethic, his love and dedication to family, his sense of humor, and his generous, kind spirit.