Walter R. Stecher

STECHER, Walter Robert Jr. "Walt" 86, of Tarpon Springs, formerly of St. Petersburg and Madeira Beach died Sunday, March 6, 2016 at his home. Born in New York, he moved to the Chicago area as a toddler, where he remained until 1964 when he relocated with his family to the Detroit, MI area. He came to St. Petersburg in 1970 from New Jersey, settling in Tarpon Springs in 1996. Walter graduated from Taft High School in Chicago, IL in 1947 and from DePauw University in New Castle, IN in 1951 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in English, Mathematics, and Economics. He was also a member of the Delta Epsilon Fraternity. He served honorably in the United States Army Signal Corps from 1951-1953 during the Korean War, stationed first in California and then in Korea. He served as a cryptographer and projectionist. Walter began his career in the newspaper advertising business in 1951 as a research assistant for the Chicago Daily News, working for J.R. Bradley and Associates. Following that, he represented the Detroit News in several capacities, serving first as the National Advertising Account Representative in its Chicago office (1954-1964), then as the Assistant National Advertising Manager in Detroit (1964-1968), and finally as the Eastern Advertising Manager in the paper's New York office. Walter came to Florida in 1970 and went to work for the St. Petersburg Times and Evening Independent, first as Bureau Advertising Sales Manager and then as Assistant Retail Sales Manager (1970-1973). He was promoted to General Advertising Manager in 1973, where he continued until his retirement in 1993. During his tenure at the Times-Independent, Walter served as Director and eventually President of the Sales and Marketing Executives of St. Petersburg, as Director and Legislative Committee Chairman of Florida Newspaper Advertising and Marketing Executives (FNAME), Director and Vice President of Junior Achievement of Pinellas County, and Division Leader of United Way of Pinellas County. He was active in the St. Petersburg Advertising Federation, serving as various committee chairs and was Director, then President of the Times Publishing Company Credit Union. Walter was also a member of the Pinellas Suncoast Chamber of Commerce, the International Newspaper Advertising and Marketing Executives (INAME), the Suncoast Travel Industry Association, the St. Petersburg Commerce Club, and the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club. One affiliation he was especially proud of was President of the Times Publishing Company Bowling League where he once nearly bowled a "perfect game." Following his retirement, Walter enjoyed traveling with his American Stage companions, going to the movies, watching the "classics" on TV, VHS, and DVR, and completing his daily newspaper crossword puzzles (in ink). He had a particular love of music and was an accomplished singer, having once recorded his own demo. In his later years, Walter was an enthusiastic member of a high energy musical group called "The Love Notes," entertaining at churches, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities in the area. He also tried his hand at musical theater, performing in local adaptations of "My Fair Lady" and "Carousel." Walter was preceded in death by his wife of more than 55 years, Caryl (also from Chicago) and his sister, Marian Anderson (Arizona). He is survived by his two daughters, Lynn Terry (St. Petersburg) and Nanette (Dan) Jones (Chapel Hill, NC) and his two sons, Paul Stecher (Orlando) and Rick Stecher (Santa Ana, CA). He is also survived by eight grandchildren, Kimberly (Wes) House (North Carolina), Jeff (Jenny) Terry (Seminole), Tierney Stecher (Orlando), Ian Stecher (Texas), Jordan Stecher (Kentucky), Ivy Stecher, Graham Stecher, and Max Stecher (all of North Carolina), and one great-grandson, Will, as well as two nieces, Holly (Scott) Richardson and Dawn (Bill) Kaiser (Arizona). Memorial services will be held Saturday, April 9, at 2 pm, Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 2853 Sunset Point Rd., Clearwater. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to a charity of choice in their father's/grandfather's name.