Walter J Nullet

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Walter J. Nullet, He was born in 1929 in Sunnyside, Queens, a neighborhood in Woodside, New York. He lost his Father, Walter P. Nullet in a tragic accident in 1940. He and his mother then moved upstate to Cairo, NY for a few years until they returned to 49th street in Sunnyside to reside with his maternal Grandparents, Louis and Katherine Heitz. His Mother, Betty, went on to work at the Museum of Natural History in New York City along with her Brother-in-law Joseph Nullet and Sister-in-law Anna McDonald.
He attended Newtown High School, where he played Basketball and after graduation enlisted in the US Army. He served until the end of the Korean War and went directly into the New York City Police Department as a Patrolman when he returned from the Army.
He came from a long line of New York Police Officers. His Great-Great Uncle Joseph, the first Police Officer of the Family, was killed in the line of duty in 1864. He had three Uncles who were policemen as well. His second Son, Lawrence, followed in his footsteps and has since retired as a Nassau County, NY Police Officer.
In 1955 he married the very young and pretty Janet E. Kvanvik, who lived only a few blocks away in Sunnyside. After the wedding they moved to an apartment in Elmhurst, NY. In 1956 they had their first son, Walter P. Their second Son, Lawrence, was born in 1958 and shortly after they bought a house in Freeport NY, on the south shore of Long Island. Third Son Douglas was born in 1959 and fourth son Joseph James (JJ) was born in 1962.
As a young Patrolman he worked very hard and often had second and third 'jobs' as he supported his wife, four children, a house, a dog and two cars. Not a small feat.
Freeport is a waterfront town with a few large canals that lead out to the Great South Bay and then the Atlantic Ocean through Jones Inlet. It's just north of Jones Beach. It was the hometown of Band Leader Guy Lombardo. The main canal is Woodcleft Canal. There are countless restaurants, bars, marinas, shops and attractions along the canal and It's now called the 'Nautical Mile'. Ehrhart's Bar and clam house, right on the canal, was very popular, as was their favorite restaurant the 'Midship.' Walter and about six other friends, including Phil Ehrhart, the owner, had a 36' sport fishing boat named the 'Thirsty Lady'. It was docked right behind the Restaurant. They were avid sport fishermen and joined many Marlin and Tuna Tournaments along the east coast. He was also a member of a social club called the 'Freeport Tuna Club'. There were many years, countless memories and stories involving Ehrhart's and all the friends and children of friends who worked there or frequented the restaurant. Two of his son's worked there and the other two just spent money on clams, chili and Michelob beer on tap. Saturday night Dinner at the Midship followed by a few drinks at the bar after with friends was just about routine. Those were wonderful, happy times.
His family wanted for nothing and he even managed to send his sons to private catholic school in Our Holy Redeemer Parish. The only time he ever fired his service revolver was to euthanize a junk man's Horse in Canarsie Brooklyn. He did get into a little trouble but the horse's owner was in tears begging for him to put the poor Animal out of its misery as it had broken its leg in a pothole.
During his Son's High School years, he and Janet were active in many Parent support groups which helped raise funds for the athletic curriculum. His sons played Football and Lacrosse. In the 1960's he started a Teacher-Aide program in Freeport High School where off duty Police Officers assisted the Principal to maintain security and order throughout the High School during some challenging times. To the coaches, athletes, and students who knew him there, he was so much more than "security" He was a friend, a mentor, and most of all, a super fan of the athletic program, even after all his sons graduated. They put three Son's through top shelf Colleges and one son went into the US Air Force.
Despite claiming that he would never move to Florida and chase a stupid golf ball around, He and Janet moved to St Augustine Florida in 1989 to the Ocean Gallery. He was active in the Owner's Association and learned to golf at age 59 and became the organizer of the Men's Golf club which brought together up to 40 golfers weekly. He and Janet were active and devoted members of Saint Anastasia Roman Catholic Parish in St Augustine. As time went on, three Sons and their Families moved to the area and they had many years of Holidays, Birthdays, Graduations, Vacations, and of course, Notre Dame football games, together. His passion for the Fighting Irish began like many Catholics in NYC who cheered for Notre Dame as the "Subway Alumni" despite having never attended the school.
Interestingly, in 1991 he put together a history on the Nullet family. This was before the internet and his research was done by visiting churches and city halls reading old records and through the mail. No one in the Family knew when or from where we had come from, so his main objective was to go back and identify Father to Father to Father. He eventually ran out of clues and hired a genealogist in France to assist.
The genealogist somehow connected the missing dots and he was able to trace his family back to his 6th Great Grandfather Antoine Nullet, who was born in 1637. Antoine moved to Altenstadt, in the Alsace Lorraine region of modern-day France. He further discovered the first Nullet Ancestor to come to New York was Joseph Nullet, who emigrated from Altenstadt in 1832, his Great-Great Grandfather. Joseph was a Farmer in Manhattan. The spelling of the family name would change depending upon the language of the cleric who recorded events. Alsace Lorraine borders on France and Germany so the name went from Nullet to Noullet to Nullet, and a few other variations and this made researching a little more difficult. He was very proud of this work and had a booklet published for distribution to Family members.
In recent years he suffered a series of mini strokes and developed short term memory issues. He never stopped being a devoted Husband and Loving Father even though his activities became limited. He got his first pair of eyeglasses for nighttime driving a few short years ago. He lived a long life filled with precious memories and left behind a large grateful family who will miss him and never forget all that he was and all that he did