Walter Hammond Jr.

As with any good hero’s story, it is best to start in the middle. On April 29, 1977, Walter married the love of his life, Brenda, who, as he would say, was his favorite wife and his only wife. After beginning their lives together in a postage-stamp-sized apartment in Upper Arlington, they built their first home together in Hilliard. As time moved on, the couple welcomed their first and only child, Christopher, before relocating to Dublin, where they stayed for 31 wonderful years.

Throughout this time, Walt honed his skills in, well, everything. Not only was he the consummate professional in his remarkably storied and often record-breaking day job, but he constantly adopted new hobbies, devoting sufficient time to become exactly awesome—no more, no less—in each before moving on to his next challenge. For him, there were always only two outcomes: do or do not, there was no try. He was an avid painter, a flight-tested pilot, an inspiring coach, a creative writer, and a glass blower extraordinaire. But, there was much more: he was also a rugged adventurer, a daring kayaker, a detailed craftsman, an esteemed tribe leader, and an incomparable Mr. Fix-It.

Although he commonly moved from hobby to hobby, one thing was constant: songwriting. Having been taught by his father, Walter Hammond Sr., to play the guitar as a child, Walt composed an endless catalogue of songs, often writing about his cherished wife or his devout faith. Ultimately, four of his songs were published (Gentle Little Light (1993), Man Among Men (1994), Rebirth (1996), and For My Wife (2007)) and, in 2008, For My Wife was awarded the Directors Award in the Nashville International Song & Lyric Contest. Following receipt of this prestigious award, Walt signed a contract as a professional songwriter with the Paramount Group.

With this hero’s story having its middle, it would only be appropriate to go back to the beginning. Walter was born on October 21, 1954 in Columbus, Ohio to Walter Hammond Sr. and Rochelle Hammond (Lehman). He was their only child, though he was surrounded by his mother’s youngest siblings, his cousins, and his friends, who always called him Frog. He worked hard from a young age, and found a way to overcome certain aspects of his surroundings to develop compassion and a vested interest in the human condition. Although his love for music was already deep, he also enjoyed math, science, and, most of all, history. He excelled at school and, having worked hard enough to save up, he enjoyed a life-changing trip to Europe with his school in 1971. He was a must-see drum major, graduating from Marion-Franklin High School in 1972, and then enrolled at The Ohio State University.

And then he met a girl. She was two years younger and her protective father—a Highway Patrolman—did not approve of his youngest daughter socializing with an older man. So, like any young couple in love, he made sure to park two driveways down every morning when picking her up for school. And, like any young couple in love, they eventually got caught—but, nothing would stop him when his mind was made up. Before you knew it, they were fixtures in each other’s lives, constantly together as soulmates and genuine best friends. They loved each other to the moon and back.

Consistent with the theme, every hero’s story must have its end. Walt was the epitome of a father and a grandfather. Nothing gave him greater satisfaction than instilling essential virtues, ideals, values, and traits through his constant teaching and coaching. He taught his son to listen, care, exhibit compassion, appreciate life’s blessings, lead by example, and achieve by believing failure was impossible. He was the most considerate and selfless man in the world, continuously helping others without ever asking for anything in return. It was second nature for him to already be in the car with his tools in the trunk before you could finish the sentence regarding what needed to be fixed or to take it upon himself to evaluate your problem and develop a well-reasoned solution. He always had an ear ready to listen and wisdom ready to impart. While it is entirely impossible to convey what it felt like to be his son, a quote from one of his favorite characters perhaps says it best: “Have you ever been afraid of the dark? How does it feel when you turn on the light? It feels like that.”

In 2016, Walt became a grandfather when his grandson, Hudson, was born to Chris and his beautiful wife, Brittany. In 2018, Chris and Brittany welcomed a daughter, Emery. From 2016 until his final moments, Walt’s (aka GPa’s) bond with his grandchildren was stronger than anything on the planet. His grandchildren were his Adventure Buddies and his Builder Buddies. On any given day, there were forts to build (and destroy), bears to hunt, tents to pitch, nails to hammer, and screws to turn. There were train cars to carve, blocks to stack, blueprints to draw, and mountains to climb. He carried on his history of coaching, acting as an assistant coach to his son for Hudson’s soccer and basketball teams and Emery’s soccer team. Even in his final moments, he was with his darling grandchildren doing what a GPa does best: cuddling and snuggling (while watching football, of course).

And, in the end, this hero’s story tied back to all of the moments leading up to that point, just as it always does in any good hero’s story. During a break in GPa time, he went to grab a guitar and sing a few bars, likely about his soulmate and best friend. And in that moment, turning to his unwavering faith, the Lord called him home.

Walt lives on in his wife, Brenda, his son, Christopher, his daughter-in-law, Brittany, his grandson, Hudson, his granddaughter, Emery, his puppy, Winnie, and his grand-furbabies, Watson, Tatum (heavenly), Finn, and Daisy, as well as his in-laws, Larry and Marie Juchnowski, his aunt, Tonita Frazier, his sister-in-law, Patricia Slyh, and his brother-in-law, Charles Johnston.

A visitation will be held at Schoedinger Dublin, 5980 Perimeter Drive Dublin, Ohio 43017, on Monday February 5, 2024 from 10 am to 12 noon with a service immediately following at 12 noon. Interment to follow the service at Jerome Township Cemetery.