Walter L. Procko, 77, of Columbia, a retired school improvement analyst and researcher for the South Carolina Department of Education, died Dec. 1 at Prisma Health Richland Hospital Trauma Center Columbia.
A funeral service will be held at 12:00 p.m. Friday, December 9, 2022 at Dunbar Funeral Home, Devine Street Chapel, with burial in Greenlawn Memorial Park. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.
A native of New Britain, Conn., Walt was a graduate of Colby College in Watertown, Maine, and received his doctorate in education from the University of South Carolina. He married the late Elizabeth Ingram Procko in 1976, enjoying 46 years of marriage until her death May 11, 2022.
A member of the South Carolina Orchid Society, Walt enjoyed growing those beautiful blooms in terrariums at his home, with some of the plants living for many years due to his meticulous care. He and Betty enjoyed the antics of hummingbirds in their back yard, and Walt maintained ample feeders to keep them coming.
Walt took pride in his family’s Ukrainian and Polish roots and continuously researched and compiled a vast family history. “He had over 2,000 entries on Ancestry.com. He started with his side of the family, and then moved to Betty’s side,” remembered one of his nephews, Scott Procko of Chelmsford, Mass. “He traced his roots back to just before 1900.
“Over the last few years, I’d look up old newspaper articles and send them to him so that he could make the family connections,” Scott said. “He wrote personal stories tying together the relationships between family members.”
His research into Betty’s family led him to procure dining room chairs from the Charleston Hotel, managed by Betty’s family many decades ago. Scott and Walt enjoyed a trip together to Charleston in August 2022, “and he was looking forward to making it an annual trip. He also wanted to go to Colonial Williamsburg, where he and Betty honeymooned,” Scott said.
Walt was a whiz at making blueberry compote, sharing batches with friends and relatives. He also cooked Ukrainian Easter bread and perogies, dumplings filled with mashed potatoes that are boiled or fried.
He was an avid photographer and had at the ready a small digital camera to capture the moment.
Walt was methodical and particular in how he lived. “Even when Walt would speak, it was very thought out. His comments and opinions were not off the cuff,” Scott said.
“He approached his house and his life in a way that always kept him busy. He was always discovering more details about whatever he was doing in order to better understand it.”
During Betty’s illness in the months before her death, Walt rarely left her side. “They were so devoted to each other, and Walt made sure that she had her hair done regularly, even when she was ill, because Betty was particular about it,” said Walt’s niece, Ruth Cummins of Clinton, Miss.
Walt was also preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Naomi Procko of Hartford; and his brother, Jay Procko of Hartford.
He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Jean Ingram of Columbia; his brothers-in-law, Jerome Ingram of Columbia and Hanlon Ingram of Tulsa, Okla.; his nieces, Mary Jo Ingram Davidson, Chris Ingram McElveen, Kathy Ingram Robinson and Jeanne Ingram Trussell, all of Chapin, S.C.; Laura Ingram and Eve Ingram, both of Columbia; Rebecca Southern of Lavaca, Ark.; and Rebecca Procko of Watertown, S.D.; nephews, Robert Procko of Riverside, Calif., Bryan Procko of Perris, Calif., Dennis Ingram of Tulsa and Charles Ingram of Mobile, Ala.; and a host of great-nieces and great-nephews.
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