Walter D. Dolehite, 83, passed away unexpectedly on September 23 in Dallas, Texas. He was a beautiful late Christmas gift born on December 27th in Memphis, Tennessee to Marie and Julian. After living with his Grandma Lora and others for a while, Marie remarried a sailor named Walt and the family hit the road. Walter was a Navy brat and ultimately settled with his mom and stepdad in Waco, Texas. After high school, he joined the US Navy and served his country proudly for 3 years. Upon his discharge, Walter attended the Journeyman Electrician training program for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers where he completed training in 1969, retiring in 2011, and was a proud Union member until his passing. He married the love of his life, Judith, in 1973 and was an amazing dad to their three children. Hauling the instruments for the marching band to many competitions, playing catch in the front yard, driving the kids to college, and being the on-call mechanic, GPS and Mr. Fix-It to his family. Through his work as a Journeyman Electrician for 42 years, he left an indelible mark on the physical world around him working on such important projects as the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, Cityplace Market Center, the Bank of America tower and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. He also traveled to work all over the United States in Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Louisiana, New York, and New Jersey. An avid lover of sports, Walter enjoyed watching any level of baseball from the little league world series to the Rangers and Red Sox. On Sundays you would find him in his recliner yelling at the Dallas Cowboys. The thing all who knew him will miss the most is his infectious laughter and the terrible “dad” jokes. He deeply cared about his family and his loss will be felt intensely by his wife Judith, his children Robert, Jennifer (son-in-law, Buck), and Tracey, his beloved sisters Derettia Banks and Dorothy Blanks, 2 nieces, 3 nephews, many great-nieces and nephews and so many friends. He is preceded in death by his mother Georgia Marie Nixon, his father Julian Ezekial McArthur, his adoptive father Walter Leroy Dolehite, his stepfather Vernon Nixon, and his beloved pets Ginger, Capone, Charlie and many more.
