Walter E. Reeves

Walter "Wally" Reeves, 93, of West Palm Beach, FL, went to be with Jesus on December 4, 2018. He was born in 1925 in Harvey, Illinois, the second son, but the third of six children, to Harry and Hazel Reeves. Walter is survived by his four children: Walter, Jr., David, Joyce (husband Christopher), and Judy; his grand-daughter Rebecca Condyles (husband Curtis); his great-grand-children Luke and Rhiannon; and his younger sisters Mildred Szczurak and Shirley Vorrath. Although Walter grew up on the South Side of Chicago, early radio broadcasts of the Cubs baseball team birthed a life-long love of Cubs Baseball. Walter credited hearing Kiki Cuyler's (pronounced ky-ky kyler) name on the radio as the reason for it. He could quote stats of every "almost" year the Cubs had over the decades and even said it would be two years AFTER he died that they would win the World Series. Luckily, events didn't happen that way and Walter got to see his beloved Cubs win in 2016, two years BEFORE he left us. Walter was also proud of his military service during WWII, or "The Big Shootout," as he called it. He was in the Navy and the closest he got to actual combat was driving for the nurses on Guam. He was slated to go as support should the US invade Tokyo (he was a motor mechanic), but says the dropping of the A-bomb made that possibility an impossibility. Walter got out of the Navy after the war and followed in his dad's footsteps to become an electrician. In the summer of 1970, Walter packed up his family and the dog and moved to S. Florida. He wanted to be closer to his mom and to avoid the recurrence of living through anything close to the famous '67 Blizzard that hit the Chicago area! After Walter retired as an electrician from the Miami Herald, he started working for various ushering/security firms in the South Florida area. Walter got to experience the Marlins World-Series winning seasons, Superbowls, concerts, and other sporting and cultural events through these jobs. Although age slowed him down a bit and prevented him from working the more physically taxing jobs in his later years, Walter was still working up to the time of his passing. He always looked forward to going to work and seeing his buddies! Walter will be remembered as a beloved husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend. Most often seen with his Cubs hat, Walter will also be remembered for his "beautiful hair." He was, as he called himself, "The Grand Poobah of the Reeves Clan" and was known as "Uncle Wally" or "Grandpa Wally" to family and friends. Viewing will be on Wednesday, Dec. 12th from 4-6 PM, followed by a service. Walter will be laid to rest beside his beloved wife Sophie on Thursday, Dec. 13th at 1 PM at the National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Walter's name to the American Heart Association or to the Wounded Warrior Foundation.