Walter "Peeps" Theodore Holst

Walter T. (Peeps) Holst, 80, of Doraville, Ga., passed away May 13, 2010 after a brief but valiant fight against leukemia and lymphoma. Walter, who never met a stranger, was born in Chicago on January 17, 1930, a son of Walter J. and Clara Holst. After attending St. Margaret’s Catholic School and Calumet High School, he graduated from University of Illinois in Champagne with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts and science. He served in the U.S. Army in the Signal Corp from 1952 to 1954, part of which time he was posted in Bordeaux, France. In 1954, Walter accepted a job with Western Electric (Lucent, then AT&T) and moved with the company to Atlanta in 1963 where he served the company for 40 years until he retired in March 1994. Walter’s passion was woodwork, and he spent endless hours in his red barn making thousands of wooden cars, trains, planes and boats as toy coordinator for the Telephone Pioneers of America., which donated them to Toys for Tots and the Boys & Girls Clubs. He also was involved in various projects, building a castle for the pediatric eye clinic at Emory and remodeling the Holy Cross Convent in Embry Hills. Walter always has been an active volunteer, having served 10 years as concession stand chairman for the Sequoyah High School Basketball Booster Club while all four of his children played basketball. He donated blood on a regular basis until having a major heart attack in 1981. A founding member of Holy Cross Catholic Church, Walter served on the men’s building and doughnut committees and taught Sunday school classes with his wife. In later years, he was involved in the neighborhood watch for Sequoyah Woods, befriending many of his neighbors. In fact, he was fondly referred to by many as “the Mayor.” He was preceded in death by his son-in-law, Jack Waldrop. He is survived by his lovely wife of 54 years, Mary (Ryan); his brother Richard (Gerry) and their family; his three daughters, Mari (Hart) Wash of Lawrenceville, Ga., Betti Atkins of Bloomington, Ill., Carole (Greg) Siracusa of Lawrenceville, Ga.; and one son, Wally (Lisa) Holst of Duluth, Ga.; 14 grandchildren, Lesli (Matt) Carter, Ryan (Ann) Waldrop, Bobby (Linda) Boykin, Dustin Boykin, Alexis Boykin, Jordan Boykin, Aidan Atkins, Colin Atkins, Ceri Atkins, Hannah Holst, Kristina Knecht, Eric Knecht; Caitlin Siracusa, and Jacob Siracusa; five great grandchildren, Jackson and Katie Waldrop, Caleb and Molly Boykin and Mary Elizabeth Boykin; and his dog, Mr. Muggs. The family will receive friends Monday, May 17, from 6 to 9 p.m. and hold a rosary service at 7:30 p.m. at H.M. Patterson & Son-Oglethorpe Hill Chapel, Atlanta, Ga. Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, May 18, at 1 p.m. at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Tucker, Ga. Interment will follow at White Chapel Memorial Gardens in Duluth, Ga. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Hospice Atlanta (www.vnhs.org) or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.leukemia.org).