Warner S. "Joe" Waters

Warner Steynen "Joe" Waters, Jr., 76, of Fredericksburg, Va. and Berlin, Md., passed away peacefully on February 26, 2026. A beloved husband, father, and grandfather, he lived courageously with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

Born to B. Irene and Warner Steynen Waters, Sr., on September 24, 1949, Joe grew up in Linthicum Heights, Md., as the oldest of four children. After graduating from Andover High School, he matriculated at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel) and relished his time on the gridiron as a four-year member of the Green Terror football team. Joe, known in childhood and college as Joedy, made many lifelong friends at WMC, where he served as president of his fraternity, played lacrosse, participated in the Army ROTC program, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics in 1971.

Following graduation, he was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and served his country in the Vietnam War. Upon returning home to Maryland, Joe embarked on a 40-year career in banking and earned his M.B.A. from the University of Baltimore. He held leadership roles in commercial lending at First National and Maryland National banks, served as President and CEO of Mellon Bank Delaware, and retired as a senior vice president at BB&T in Ocean City, Md.

Many of Joe's happiest moments were spent sailing the Chesapeake Bay. His family has many wonderful-and some mishap-filled-memories of long weekends and summer trips exploring the rivers and creeks of Maryland and Virginia. In the late 1990s, he earned his U.S. Coast Guard Master's License and started Oxford Sailing Charters on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. He was featured in The Wall Street Journal and Coastal Living for realizing his dream of trading wingtips for dock shoes.

Athletics were another passion of Joe's, both as a participant and spectator. After returning from Vietnam, he played on the semi-professional Carroll County Chargers football team. He was also an avid runner and golfer who took pride in staying fit throughout his life. A lifelong Orioles fan, Joe delighted in watching his O's play in Memorial Stadium and at Camden Yards. Fall Saturdays were for college football, and Sundays were for cheering on the Ravens.

Joe was known for his sarcastic sense of humor and direct communication style. He was a lifelong learner and reader, spontaneous adventurer, curious conversationalist, and world traveler to destinations including France, Denmark, Greece, Russia, and his favorite Caribbean Island, Bequia. At home, he could be found on the beach, on the porch, or tending to his vegetable garden, a hobby he inherited from his father and passed on to his son.

A quiet supporter of many causes, Joe was a Big Brother in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, served on the board of Atlantic General Hospital, and volunteered for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. He attended St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Berlin in his later years, and he was a past member of Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Severna Park, Md., and Concord Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Del.

Left to cherish Joe's memory are his wife of 25 years, Ruth Waters, son Thomas Conor Waters, daughter Elizabeth Waters Hunsinger (Brent), grandson Jackson Waters Hunley, stepdaughter Jessica Rhynalds, and former wife and friend Lois Siler. He is survived by a sister, Nancy McClintock, a brother, William Waters, and several brothers- and sisters-in-law, nieces, and nephews.

His parents and a sister, Patricia Norris, preceded him in death.

His family is grateful to the staff of Spring Arbor Cottage of Fredericksburg for their loving care in his final years.

Interment and a celebration of Joe's life will be held in the spring. Memorial contributions may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, the Alzheimer's Association, or your favorite charity.