Walter A. Tomczyk

Walter Tomczyk, aged 80, died at his home on January 22, 2025. He was born a firecracker baby on July 4th, 1944 to Doris (Gowey) and Joe Tomczyk. He was number four in a family of nine rambunctious children.

Walter loved life and filled every moment with joy and his caring spirit. He was an avid fisherman and hunter and would join you in a second if you called for a spontaneous outing on a lake, a river, or a traipse through the woods. He individually took it upon himself to extricate this part of the state of the white tailed deer. He loved to garden and especially loved loading up his children's cars with copious amounts of produce, some of which was too large to fit in said cars. (Think of the most gigantic pumpkin you can imagine.) He frequently mailed his garden bounty to his children and grandchildren and all of them (mostly) enjoyed receiving the surprise, except for the mushrooms.

Walter loved to play cribbage and taught his grandchildren to play. He loved to whoop them and the laughter around the table was LOUD! He participated in a lot of cribbage tournaments at A & E Tavern and frequently lamented that he wasn't the best player of the bunch. Walter loved traveling to see family and traveling with friends to North Dakota and Wyoming to hunt and fish.

Walter was a prolific writer his entire life. He loved writing short stories and poetry but mostly loved writing his musings to family. His letters were filled with hunting and fishing stories, tall tales of wildlife, contemplations about the state of world affairs, and much irritation with our current government which he loved to opine about in the Taylor County Star News. Walter spent a lot of his time writing memoirs about growing up on a farm and schooling in a one room schoolhouse. Walter was a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, BIPOC rights, veteran's rights, and equal rights for all humans. He was a good man.

Walter was deeply affected by the death of his younger brother, Victor, who died in Vietnam in January of 1968. Walter was involved in the Faces of Vietnam Project, traveled to Washington, D.C. to see the Vietnam Memorial, and was a supporter of the Highground Veterans Memorial Park in Neillsville, Wisconsin. Walter researched the Vietnam War extensively, especially the battle that claimed Victor's life. He corresponded with many veterans and learned as much as he could about the Vietnam War and passed that knowledge onto his family.

Walter is survived by his wife of 60 years, Callie (Schreiner) Tomczyk and his children Dawn (Bob), Shane (Lee Ann), and Noelle (Tim). He was blessed with six outstanding grandchildren, Emma, Ben, Max, Evan, Ella, and Chloe, who filled him with joy and pride. He is survived by his siblings Kathleen, Glen, Darlene, Dorothy, and Beth and preceded in death by his parents, and brothers, Norbert and Victor, and his sister, Janice.

And in the classic Walter sign-off "Love, and then Love Again"

Cremation Society of Wisconsin, Altoona is assisting the family.