Daniel D. Walters

Daniel Donald Walters, 95, of Wilmington, NC passed away peacefully on April 11, 2026. He was born on January 24, 1931, on an apple farm in Lebanon, PA, the son of the late John and Kathryn Emerich Walters.

Dan graduated from Palmyra High School in 1948, spending his time on the basketball court as a point guard on the all-county championship team. From 1948 through his retirement in 1992, he spent his career rising through the ranks at Penn National Insurance. He started as an underwriter before moving to Greensboro, NC where he was the manager for the Southeast region, which included seven states. He was highly regarded by all of the agents as an excellent representative of the company and industry at large. He ended his career as Executive Vice President, moving back to the Harrisburg headquarters in 1977 and residing in Hershey, PA for the next 25 years, spending a lot of time playing tennis, golf and bridge with friends at the Hershey Country Club or in service at First United Methodist Church.

Dan was a devoted husband, first to the late Martha Schirm Walters to whom he was married until her passing in 1973 and then to Frances Watson Walters who would have celebrated 52 years of marriage on June 8th of this year. He was a loving father to Michael Scott Walters of Joplin, MO, Keith Mitchell Walters (Joanne) of Advance, NC, and Hope Kathryn Inman (Ross) of Wilmington, NC. He will be remembered for his strength, kindness, and (very) dry humor. He will be deeply missed and forever loved and remembered.

In addition to his wife and children, he is survived by seven grandsons, Jeffrey Walters, Gregory Walters, Keith Walters, Jr., Dylan Walters, Rees Walters, Cassius Inman and Austin Inman, and two great-grandsons, Jackson Walters and Layton Walters.

A Celebration of Life will be held, May 2nd, at 11am, at Grace United Methodist Church in Wilmington, NC. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the New Hanover Humane Society to honor Dan’s avid love of animals, especially dogs. A special thank you to Bradley Benson, Sila Senior Care, and the team from Amedisys Hospice for their loving support of Dan and his family during the past year.