A sweet, gentleman, predeceased by his wives Tamara Myzuk (Halliday) and Adelle Stroud. Walter will be sadly missed by his long time neighbours Betty & Leon, his close friend Bruce Patterson and Sophia and many other friends. He will be missed by his many cousins and their families and the Stroud and Halliday families. Walter was fortunate enough to be able to remain in his home with the help of family and exceptional care from PSW’s Catalina, Colasa, Tina and Mirium.
He enjoyed Tiger Cats games with Leon, and was always happy to attend a Blue Jays game with Mark Stroud, or just catch the game on TV. He loved all things TRAIN, cowboy movies, and listening to Johnny Cash. Walter grew up in Hamilton and from an early age developed an interest in steam engines. By the age of 18 he decided he wouldn’t return to Delta High School in the fall. He had other plans that involved trains. At first it didn’t look as though Walter would get a job. It was the summer of 1950 and CN wasn’t hiring, so Walter dropped by the T H & B roundhouse, then located at Chatham St. A strike was on and he was told to come back in a week. When he came back again he was hired on. The date was Sept. 11, 1950 the beginning of a 23-year long career with T H & B. Working out of the Chatham St. roundhouse as a call boy he would call crews and type messages for staff on an old typewriter. He rode a bike to different homes in the area advising T H & B employees as to when they were scheduled for work. He would get them to sign a book for their shift. Then on June 8, 1951 he fired a steam engine for the first time. Being a fireman wasn’t exactly an easy job. There was more to firing then simply throwing coal in a firebox to keep the engine running. You wanted the coal to be evenly distributed so it would burn properly. During his 23-year long career, Walter only worked about 8 years as a fireman on steam trains. Eventually diesels completely took over by the 70’s even the role of the Fireman had become a thing of the past. Gone were the days of shoveling coal, monitoring water gauges, and working with temperamental injectors. Walter still worked in the diesel cab alongside the engineer, ”but it was still railroading”. In 1973 he was hired on the parts dept. of Arctic Traveller a Burlington company specializing in mobile air conditioners and truck conditioners where he worked for the next 20 years. Due to covid restrictions, cremation has taken place and a private service has been held.
Donations on behalf of Walter can be made to the Alzheimer Society Hamilton. On-line condolences may be made at www.marlattfhhamilton.com.
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