2018 Upper New York Annual Conference Journal VII. Memoirs
Rev. William Nelson Walter William Nelson “Bill” Walter, 93, of Union Springs, died May 21, 2017. He was born in Auburn to the late Dorothy Ammerman and David Walter in 1924 and had seven siblings (the late Frank, Agnes, Dorothy, Robert, Mary, Beatrice, and surviving David and Cheryl). On May 14, 1955 he married Carolyn McDowell in Singletary Methodist Church, Dublin N.C., Rev. Stanley Mullens officiating. Rev. Walter is survived by his wife of over 60 years, Carolyn McD. Walter, six children: Carolyn Ostrander (Vance), Nelson (Beth), David (Tomoko), Jonathan (Kathryn), Helen Walter-Terrinoni (Al Terrinoni), and Anna Chappell, and fourteen grandchildren He graduated from Union Springs Central School in 1942 and served in the European Theatre in World War II. He graduated from Keystone College (AA, 1949), Lycoming College (BA, 1952) Duke University (MST, 1957), and was a lifelong student of theology and counseling (Union Theological Seminary, Cornell University and Onondaga Counseling Center). While an undergraduate, Bill became a lay minister in Factoryville, Pa., and was ordained as a full-time minister of the Methodist Church in 1957. He served churches in Central New York including Lodi, Logan (1957), Tyrone, Wayne (1959), South Otselic, Pharsalia (1960) and Otselic Valley Parish including Pitcher (1967), Weedsport, Brick Church (1971). He retired in 1978, 1988, and 2010. He also served in Montezuma (1978), Borodino (1989) and Union Springs UCC. Thompson Memorial African Methodist Episcopalian Zion Church (home church of Harriet Tubman) made him an honorary pastor. Rev. Walter volunteered as a firefighter, ambulance driver, and with the Boy Scouts. He directed/worked in camping experiences for Boy Scouts and churches. He was a member of NAACP, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Auburn Memorial Hospital’s Institutional Review Board. He was an active Mason and a New York State Grand Chaplain for 15 years. In 1964, Rev. Walter received the Methodist Commission on Chaplains’ Ecclesiastical Endorsement as a chaplain in prisons and mental health facilities. He served at Camp Georgetown, Camp Pharsalia, Auburn Memorial Hospital, Auburn Correctional Facility, Willard Correctional Facility, and Butler Correctional Facility. Rev. Walter worked to improve individual lives and community relationships, advancing the rights of all people. At the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 he witnessed Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. He participated in ecumenical efforts and respected others’ religious beliefs. He attended AA and NA as a supportive guest. Bill and Carolyn supported Auburn Correctional Facility prisoners’ families through the Auburn Hospitality Center and Offender Aid and Restoration. Rev. Walter was deeply committed to God, his family, and his community. Whether changing a stranger's tire, shaking hands with AIDS patients to affirm their humanity, sitting with those facing illness, death, or legal issues, helping families re-build their lives, lending a hand in disaster relief or countless other acts, he touched hundreds of lives. He said, "We do not get to God or receive God's Love and Grace because of the things we do, because of the rules we follow, the number of times we go to church, or how much we give. Rather, we do those things because God is with us already and because he has already given his Love and Grace to us." He lived his faith reflecting this fundamental belief. Submitted by Jonathan Walter, son
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