Walter Arthur Wake Jr.

He was born in Youngstown, Ohio on Dec. 18, 1931 and served in the Navy (1949-1953) during the Korean War with a rank of ET2(t).

He married his wife, Roselle, in 1955 and went to college on the GI Bill and got his bachelor’s degree in engineering. After graduation, he worked for RCA in New Jersey. In the early 60’s he moved his family to California and went to worked with TRW in the aerospace field as an electrical engineer for 30 years. He worked on the space satellite, Ranger, which is now housed in the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C.

He and Rose had three children, and Walt spent a lot of time with his kids. He was a Boy Scout troop leader and later a Boy Scout commissioner. He backpacked and hiked with his son and daughter with the Boy Scouts and the Explorer Scouts. In the early 70’s he took up jogging and ran the Boston Marathon in 1982.

After his wife’s death in 1985, he married Virginia Mason in 1987. Walt and Virginia retired in 1989 and traveled all over the United States in their 40-foot motorhome finally buying a home on the golf course and settling in Banning in 2000.

His wife Virginia passed away in 2003. Walt loved to travel, play golf, hike, bowl, dance, read and play games plus he was an avid photographer.

Walt is preceeded in death by his parents, Walter Arthur Wake, Sr. and Marian Hawthorne Wake; first wife, Roselle; second wife, Virginia; and his youngest daughter, Joanne Carroll.

Walt is survived by his daughter, Diane Blakley (David) of Grass Valley, Calif.; his son, Robert Wake (Jill) of Chino; and his grandchildren, Jeffrey Wake (Brittany) Army, Alyssa Wake, of Chino, and Kimberly Wilson (David), of Stonewall, La.; and great-grandchildren, Elijah and Kaylynn Wilson.

He was very loved and will be greatly missed.

A graveside service will be held at the Riverside National Cemetery on Friday, May 19, 2017 at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the American Cancer Society or the American Diabetes Association.

Arrangements by Weaver Mortuary, Inc., 1177 Beaumont Ave. Beaumont, CA Internment: Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, CA.