William T. “Tim” Walter was born in Brownwood, Texas on April 12, 1941 to Dorothy Spurrier and William “Bill” Holiday. His father died in a military aircraft training accident in Georgia in World War II. He was raised by his mother and adoptive father, Robert E. Walter, in Abilene, Texas. He excelled in baseball and football, achieving All-State in football, as well as voted ‘Mr. Abilene High School’ his Senior year. He attended TCU, earning his Bachelors in three years. he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. While attending TCU, he married Judy Kay Wright in 1961. He joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1963 and trained at the Naval Flight School in Pensacola FL.. After flight training, he was assigned to the HMM-362 (Ugly Angels) Marine helicopter unit, which was one of the first Marine units deployed to Vietnam in 1965. Based in Chu Lai, in the northern province of DaNang, the mission was carrying troops into the front lines, medivac missions and transporting civilians out of the war zones. He achieved the rank of captain. After an honorable discharge, Tim was employed by Los Angeles Airways flying civilian commuter helicopters. For most of his career, he was a commercial airline pilot for TWA until his retirement in 1998. He and Judy raised their two sons in Kansas City and Muskogee, OK. After 42 years of marriage, he moved back to his beloved state of Texas, to Corsicana, where he married Dianna Newman in 2018. He died while in Ft. Smith, Arkansas on December 28, 2022. Dianna will remember Tim as a special, sweet and loving husband. Together they enjoyed many travels and visiting both of their families. His favorite pastime was always reading and sports. His greatest pleasure was in his role as father and grandfather, for whom he was their role model of patience and kindness. To everyone who knew him, he will be remembered and admired for his quiet strength, his honesty and humility, and extraordinary wit. He is survived by his sister, Steven Maryila Thurman and preceded in death by sister, Katheryn Bowman. Also, he is survived by his wife, Dianna Newman Walter, of Corsicana, TX; his son, Matthew Timothy Walter of Belle Vista, AR and son Michael Andrew Walter and wife Marion Lewis Walter of Dallas, TX; his former wife, Judy, of Texarkana, TX; and five grandchildren, Alexander Ian and Max Coltrane of Little Rock, AR, Zen William of Dallas, TX, Hannah Shelby of Salt Lake City, UT, Benjamin Timothy of Bentonville AR; and Maximillian Wieduwilt of Austin, TX. Tim chose to donate his body to UNT Health Science Center, and his ashes are to be interred at the Dallas-Ft. Worth National Cemetery.
