PRESMYK, Walter Joseph (Wally)

The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Sunday, December 15, 2013 Our father, Wally Presmyk, has gone to be with our mother, Gerrie, who preceded him in death over 32 years ago. Even though they were separated for so long, his love for her never diminished. We know she watched over him for those 32 years, and now they will be together forever. Walter Joseph Presmyk was born in Chicago, Ill., on Dec. 26, 1920, to Charles and Nellie Przesmycki, and died in Prescott on Dec. 7, 2013. He was also preceded in death by his grandson, Sgt. Kenny Schall, his lifelong friends, Nathan and Polly Painter, and his older brother and two older sisters. The legacy he left on this earth includes his 10 children and their loving spouses, Les and Paula Presmyk, Debbie and Bob Jones, Shelly and Kent Bunger, Kevin and Dottie Presmyk, Chris and Vikki Presmyk, Terri and John Schall, Alison Quinn, Lisa and Henry Frias, Lori and David Towles, and Brian and Marsha Presmyk; his 27 grandchildren and 24 great-grand-children, along with his ex-wife and friend Betty Theisen. He was a proud WWII veteran, serving his country in the U.S. Army from 1939 through 1945 in Panama, the Philippines and Okinawa. Like a lot of servicemen, he made Phoenix his home after returning from war. This was where he met Gerrie and bought three acres to start his general contracting business and raise their family. He built custom homes and small office buildings throughout the valley, but his real forte was remodeling. He imbued his sons with a love for construction and working with their hand and his daughters with an appreciation for how long it took to move a pile of bricks or a bundle of lumber. He was a mentor, a teacher, an inventor, the guy in charge, a midwife for the home births of his seven youngest children, and JaJa to his grandchildren. Although he was small in stature, he would fill a room with his presence. He served as president of the Lions Club, and in the 1950s when the governor wanted to commemorate fatal crash sites along our highways, he built 1,000 crosses. He helped spearhead the law establishing 15 mph school crossing zones. He learned to be a magician so he could entertain children at Gomper's Rehabilitation Center. His final achievements included having his family do all of the site work at Wesley Bolin Plaza for the Enduring Freedom Memorial and building the Triumph of Courage memorial to Arizona's war dead from Afghanistan and Iraq at the VA Medical Center in Prescott. Let us tell you something, Dad... we love you and we will miss you, but we know you are with our mother, and that makes us all very happy for you both. Someday we will be together again and you can regale us with your stories of how you got St. Peter's construction crew all straightened out. A celebration of Wally's life will take place 9:30 a.m. Dec. 20, 2013, at the Northern Arizona VA Medical Center Chapel (Building 152). A reception will follow in the theatre, Building 15. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Honor Flight Arizona (sending Arizona's WWII vets to their WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.), P.O. Box 12258, Prescott, AZ 86304 or honorflightaz.org/donation-form/. Flowers and final arrangements were entrusted to Hampton Funeral Home, 240 S. Cortez St., Prescott, AZ 86303. Please visit www.hamptonfuneralhome.com to sign Wally's guestbook. Information provided by survivors.