Manfred Walter

Published 9:44 am Tuesday, February 4, 2025

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Mill Spring—Manfred Albrecht Walter passed away on January 21, 2025. He is loved and remembered by his wife of 62 years, Christel, his children, Andrea, Mark (Judy), and Gunter (Susie), and his five grandchildren, Juniper, Konrad, Caroline, Langston, and Matthew. He has left a mark in this community with his good works, good humor, and generosity of deeds and spirit. He led a full life to the very end, steadfast, loving, and true to his values and faith.

Manfred was born in Germany on December 24, 1937, in the region of Swabia. His youth was shaped by the uncertainties and deprivations of World War II and the rebirth of post-war Germany. He vividly recalled some of the horrors of war and the compassion of American GIs who moved into the neighborhood, handing out chocolates and treating the children to rides in their jeeps. Manfred joined the YMCA, where he developed his lifelong love of music and lively storytelling. Camping, biking, handball, and soccer were a large part of his youth.

After finishing grade school at age 13, Manfred was apprenticed as a tool and die maker/machinist. He was drafted into the German navy in 1959, serving part of his time on a PT boat on the North Sea and developing his leadership skills and technical expertise. Upon returning to Swabia, he was employed by Traub Machine Tools, the company he would work for until his retirement. The company established a United States sales division on Long Island, NY. Despite minimal English language skills but sensing opportunity and wanting adventure, he accepted a transfer to the US. Having started his professional career as an apprentice, he retired as the president of US operations. 

After arriving in the United States in 1961, he met up with Christel, his childhood next door neighbor. They married in 1962 and started to build a life for themselves and their children on the shores of Long Island Sound, NY. His Swabian DNA of thrift, determination, and inventiveness kicked in and helped transform a simple summer cottage into a comfortable year-round home for family and friends from near and far.

A work-related move to Milwaukee and an empty nest allowed Manfred and Christel to pursue new passions. Manfred started serious woodworking when he joined a crew of volunteers to build the Dennis Sullivan, a historic Great Lakes schooner. At Riveredge Nature Center in Newburg, WI, where they participated in native prairie restoration, they found a community with a common interest committed to raising environmental awareness and nurturing a sense of responsibility toward the natural world and all of creation.

Retirement brought them to Mill Spring, NC, where they continued in their efforts to conserve and steward the land. Manfred loved the competitiveness and camaraderie with his tennis friends, woodworking turned into a creative hobby, and he delighted in gifting his creations to family and friends. Nostalgic for the bread his grandmother baked, he built a wood-fired outdoor oven and became an accomplished bread baker and pizza party host, dazzling his guests with his stories, mostly true, some a bit tall.

Throughout his time in Mill Spring, Manfred was an active community member. He sang in the Community Chorus, played his euphonium in the Hendersonville Community Band, built trail shelters, picnic tables, and many Leopold-style benches, and was an indefatigable invasive-plant eradicator. He was president of Habitat for Humanity, deacon/trustee/president of the Congregational Church in Tryon, recipient and board member of Second Wind Hall of Fame, and Coordinator of Tuba Christmas. He loved to serve and get things done. His legacy lives on in all he accomplished. With his big smile, big heart, and enduring German accent, Manfred spread joy to friends and strangers.

Manfred will be greatly missed, especially by his loving wife, kids, and grandkids.  

A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on February 15, 2025, at The Congregational Church, UCC in Tryon, 210 Melrose Avenue, Tryon, NC. All are welcome. Contributions can be made to the Congregational Church, Conserving Carolina, or a charity of your choice.

An online guest register is available at mcfarlandfuneralchapel.com

 

McFarland Funeral Chapel

Tryon