May 31, 2023 Orval “David” Walter
Orval “David” Walter, the son of Richard and Mildred (Brown) Walter, was born on June 28, 1957, in Lenox, Iowa. He went home to be with Jesus on Friday, May 12, 2023 at the age of 65.
He was raised and baptized in the Lenox Christian Church where he gave his heart to the Lord.
David was the fourth of six children, having 3 older sisters and 2 younger brothers. During his childhood, he developed a love of the farm, helping with the chores, driving the tractor, picking up hay, moving cattle, and walking beans. He was constantly by his dad’s side and soon became his “right-hand man”. If you knew him very well, you would know how mischievous and adventurous he was. On several occasions, David was not to be found and his mom and dad would have to go looking for him only to find him swinging from a rope in the hay loft, shooting pigeons in the barn, attempting to drive the truck or climbing to the top of a tree. At an early age, he and his 2 younger brothers spent countless hours “farming” together under the back porch where they had set up their own “farm”. David would add water to the dirt, get his tractor stuck in the mud and call for his brothers to come pull him out. They had nicknames for each other. David was “Don Deanie”, Mark was “Bill” (one of their dad’s best friends’ name) and John was “Hurley”. The threesome enjoyed being outdoors together riding bikes and little motorcycles, fishing, and hunting. David liked to tinker, could fix almost anything and developed a love of cars and motorcycles at an early age.
David, “Dave”, graduated from Lenox Community High School with the class of 1976 and furthered his education at Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa, with a degree in Auto Mechanics. After college, he opened Dave’s Garage in Lenox. He was blessed with three sons, Jacob William, Richard Art, and Cole David. In 1986, the family moved to Arizona. While there, he worked at Bromm Chevrolet as a mechanic and later for Jones Ford where he retired as Service Manager. He was Ford Senior Master Certified, Level 3 Chrysler Certified, and became well known for his wealth of knowledge in the automotive field. He passed this knowledge and a passion down to his three sons who all have worked or are currently working in an area of the automotive industry. Not only did he pass down his love of cars, but also his love of motorcycles. Outside of the automotive world, he loved the desert life, spending time with his family or friends and watching his grandkids grow. Together there were many fun times fishing, hunting (especially rattlesnakes) motorcycle trips and riding 4 wheelers. His family was his pride and joy.
In life and in death, David was a man of great determination with a quiet strength, caring heart and great love for his family. He didn’t know a stranger, made friends wherever he went, and was always ready to listen and share stories. You could be sure there would be lots of laughter.
David is survived by his three sons, Jacob (Tera), Rick (Anna), and Cole (Sharde’). Ten grandchildren: Alexa, Kash, Emma, Heather, Morrison, Kaleb, Elisabeth, Abigail, Presley, and Joshua. Three sisters: Susan (JR Leach), Jeanne (Jerry) Masters, Janis (Tom) Christensen, and two brothers: Mark (Juliann) Walter, and Dr. John (Jane) Walter; many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents: Richard and Mildred Walter, grandparents: Orval and Dorothy Walther, and Walter and Ruth Brown: Uncles: Marlin Brown and Phil Hall, and cousin Stephan Hall.
In David’s testimony written a few years ago, he wrote these last words:
“Remember, God loves you and forgives you your sins. John 14:6 says: ‘Jesus said unto Him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ See you in heaven.”
David’s celebration of life service will be held June 10, 2023, at the Alliance Bible Church in Prescott, AZ at 2:00 P.M. He requested that some of his ashes be spread at the top of Mingus Mountain and his final resting place with his parents in Lenox, Iowa. Services for this will take place at a later date. His family is asking that in lieu of flowers, please make a memorial donation to New Song Recovery Home, 810 Allen Lane, Prescott, AZ 86303.
