Walter R. Averett

Mr. Averett was a chemist.

Walter R. Averett

August 1, 1927 - December 23, 2015

Walter R. Averett passed away peacefully at Courtyard Care Center in Fruita on December 23, 2015.

Walt attended a one-room school in southern Nevada, and lived on a cattle ranch through high school. He earned a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Nevada in 1952. He started his career in an oil shale plant in Rifle in 1949. He was a supply clerk in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1940-1952. Walt worked as a chemist in Nevada, Colorado, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. He came to Grand Junction in 1977 to work for Bendix as a field engineer. Walter retired from Geotech (Bendix) in 1992.

He was a former member of the GJ Gem & Mineral Club and chairman on Gem & Mineral annual shows. He was also a member of the GJ Geological Society. He wrote and published three books on the history of southern Nevada, and edited five guidebooks for geological field trips in Colorado. He was a fossil preparator and quarry master for the paleo lab at Dinosaur Valley, Fruita.

While working graphics, pastels, and watercolors, Walt was the volunteer curator at The Art Center, and eventually became the curator of the collections, a position he held until 2002.

Walter was married to Marjorie E. Betty on June 5, 1963. She precedes him in death. He is also preceded in death by his parents, Clinton Levon Averett and Sylvia Beatrice (Willis) Averett. He is survived by a niece, Carol Snider of Nevada, and a granddaughter, Lisa Melane of Texas.

Walter loved keeping himself busy among his 2000 books, vinyl record collection, vast iris garden, and everything else he would surround himself with at home, including his beloved cat, Sandy.