John Frederick Walters

John Frederick Walters, 95, of Annandale, VA, passed away peacefully May 17, 2024.

Born in Erie, PA, he attended the Drown School – a one-room school house in Greene Township – graduating in 1943. He was a 1947 graduate of The Academy High School.

John lived a life of service. During his first year at Edinboro State Teachers College, he was recruited to join the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In 1948, he began his career working in the file room and then trained to become a latent fingerprint examiner. During his tenure, he traveled throughout the U.S. to provide fingerprint evidence and testimony that was paramount in securing convictions. He was involved in solving landmark cases, such as the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and Martin Luther King's assassination. John also played a role in developing modern fingerprint technology. He was assigned to lead the FBI's Disaster Response Team in which he traveled to identify the victims of the Tenerife Airport disaster, the Jonestown massacre and other news-making tragedies of the day. He completed his 36-year distinguished career in 1984, leading the FBI's Latent Fingerprint Division.

John was a citizen of the world, joining the Department of Justice's International Criminal Investigation Training Assistance Program (ICITAP). For ICITAP, he worked to improve law enforcement practices and criminal investigations in Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. In his retirement, he also served as the secretary of the Chesapeake Bay Division of the International Association of Identification.

Of his many gifts to his family was marrying his second wife Virginia 'Ginny' McLean Walters. Together, Ginny and John nurtured and cared deeply for each other as well as their families with boundless love, giving hearts, and humor.
John is survived by Ginny, his loving wife of 35 years.

His adoring children who grieve include David Conrad (Julie) Walters, John Allen (Millie) Walters, Angela Marie Walters (Robert) Small, and daughter-in-law Barbara Walters. He is mourned by his beloved grandchildren Justin Walters, Elizabeth Walters, Ryan Walters, Dr. Taylor Walters, Leslie Walters, Abigail Sellner and Madelyn Sellner; his brothers-in-law Bob McLean and Bill (Suzanne) McLean; and numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews who he gratefully answered to as 'Grandpa John' or 'Uncle Johnny.'

John is predeceased by his parents John Frederick and Bertha Mae Walters; his older brothers Henry and Este Dean, his beloved first wife and mother of his children Mary 'Connie' Constance (nee Carneal) Walters; and his second son, Richard Michael (Barbara) Walters.

A celebration of life will be held on September 21, 2024 at St. Matthew's United Methodist Church, 4617 Little River Turnpike, Annandale, VA, 22003 beginning at 4 p.m. Lite fare will be served.

In lieu of flowers, his family would be honored to receive a donation to the charity of your choice, or to the John and Ginny Walters Endowed Scholarship at the College of Southern Maryland. Donations to the scholarship can be made online at https://www.csmd.edu/foundation/give/index.html or by calling CSM Development Department at 301-934-7599.