Walter Dingfield, age 97, of Beaverton, Oregon passed away on Friday May 3, 2019. Walter was born February 23, 1922 in Tacoma, Washington to Emil & Elsie Dingfield. After attending public schools, he graduated from Lincoln High School in Tacoma and went to work in a print shop as a printer's apprentice. He was the middle boy of 3 sons.
He went by train to a church conference in Chicago and met Gladys Engel and they had a few dates there and kept up by mail. She came to Tacoma in 1941 and they got engaged. They married in 1942 and "honeymooned" in Seattle. Walter joined the US Navy and was attached to the Marines as a Pharmacists Mate. While living in San Diego, their 1st born child was born (David), and Walter began serving in the Pacific. Two years later, their 2nd child arrived (John), and Walter was soon discharged from the Navy after a short time in Guam.
He then began attending Pacific Lutheran College and during his freshman year, his daughter (Grace) was born followed by another daughter (Ruth) during his senior year of college. The family then travelled to Dallas Theological Seminary for the next four years where he was given a Master degree in Theology and Old Testament, graduating summa cum laude in 1954. After moving back to the Northwest, he took his first pastorate in Startup, WA, a small country church for about 3 years and then moved the family to a large church in Los Angeles, CA, He spent 5 years there on the staff at Church of the Open Door before taking a church in Fargo, ND for 7 years. Walter and Gladys's next stop was a church in Bismarck, ND, in 1969 where they were when they lost their youngest daughter at 19 through a car accident. They moved to Kankakee, IL, and on to Lodi, CA.
In February of 1986, they joined Village Baptist Church in Beaverton, OR, and finally decided to move to a retirement home in the independent living residence at the Hearthstone in 2002. Walter continued his pastoral care at Village and then Gladys died of a heart attack in 2003. He continued to live at Hearthstone until his death on May 3rd, 2019. His passion in life was to serve Christ and His kingdom and enjoyed golf through the years as well as the sports on TV, and telling awful jokes!
He was preceded in death by his wife, Gladys, and daughter Ruth. Survived by his son David (sherry) from Jacksonville, FL; by his son John (Dawn) from Omaha, NE; and daughter Grace (Bob) Reichen of Portland, OR. He also had 6 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.
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