Walter "Walt" Joseph Cisar

Walter J. Cisar (Walt) was born on October 6, 1924, in Dante, South Dakota, to Thomas and Katrina Cisar. Walt’s father was a blacksmith and owned his own shop. Thomas repaired equipment for local farmers and made a good living. Thomas built Walt a bicycle from spare parts in his shop, and it was so challenging to ride that only Walt could. Thomas would come home from work at the end of the week and say all the bills were paid and there was money in the bank, so they had nothing to worry about.

Then came 1930, the banks closed, and all the money in the bank was gone. Thomas’ customers usually waited to pay him until the crops were harvested, but there was no rain and no one to buy the little that grew—each year got harder and leaner. To help the family, Walt would find jobs helping harvest crops in the summer. When the work was done, he went to enroll as a high school freshman, but it was October, and the teacher told him he was too late and he could not possibly catch up. Walt said, “OK,” and went back to work, following the harvest and picking up any odd jobs he could find.

By the fall of 1940, he had drifted to Denver, where he worked in a machine shop during the day and ran a pool hall in the evenings. He slept in his boss's bathtub when he finished at the pool hall. Things were looking up as Walt had steady employment and was starting to save some money.

So, on December 7, 1941, he was doing well and continued to do well until his 18th birthday, when he was immediately drafted into the US Army, which put him to work in the motor pool, where he rose to the rank of sergeant and supervised vehicle maintenance and repair while teaching young draftees how to drive. Walt was sent to the Pacific Theater, where he earned a bronze star and two Purple Hearts. He developed ulcers and spent almost six months in Fitzsimmons VA hospital.

After the service, Walt had always wanted to ranch, so he moved to South Park and bought a place near Guffy, but he was unable to make a profit and ended up doing what he was so good at: he sold cars in Canon City.

There, he met Betty Hindman, whom he married and moved to Craig with, so they could be close to Betty’s mother. As they planned to have a big family and Betty wanted to get some help with the kids from her mother, Helen Hindman, who came to Craig every Thursday morning so that Betty could get her hair done, have lunch with the girls, and do the grocery shopping.

While Betty and her mother were taking care of the kids, Walt became a very successful businessman, going from car salesman at the Ford garage when Tom was born to service station owner, to auto parts store owner, to a larger store with a full-service machine shop, as well as buying a tobacco, candy, and paper distribution business, then stores in Meeker and Vernal.

Walt and Betty had six children: Tom (1953), Cathy (1954), John (1955), Margie (1959), Jim (1961), and Elizabeth (1962). Walt and Betty were very proud of their children, and it was a devastating blow to both when Elizabeth only lived for about 10 days due to congenital disabilities. That was the first of Walt’s greatest losses. Cathy died at age 10 on December 23, 1963. Then, in July 1977, Betty died of breast cancer.

With Betty’s passing, Walt was completely lost, but at her funeral, he reconnected with an old family friend who had lost her husband to a heart attack five years earlier. One year later, Walt married Marty Petricek. Marty had two adopted sons, but had lost the older one in an accident a couple of years previously. Her son Bob was the same age as Walt’s youngest, Jim. The newly blended family not only attended the wedding but also went with Walt and Marty on their honeymoon to Mexico.

Walt and Marty were married for 33 years until Marty succumbed to cancer. Walt was once again completely devastated, but met Peggy Gonzalez while playing pinochle. Walt loved to play pinochle, and so did Peggy. At the age of 87, Walt and Peggy were married. During his marriage to Peggy, Walt lost a third child, Jim, suffering one of the greatest tragedies that a parent can face, and he endured this loss three times.

Walt and Peggy enjoyed each other’s company and traveled together for eleven years before Peggy lost her battle due to the complications of a stroke. After losing Peggy, Walt was once more adrift in the world but determined to live on his own for as long as possible, which he did. He moved to The Haven just in time for his 100th birthday and was able to drive until last year. While at The Haven, Walt became good friends with Jeannie Wixson, and that made all the difference in Walt’s time at The Haven.

Walt had a deep faith in God, which he practiced through daily prayer, regular attendance at both Sunday and weekday mass, and active participation in St. Michael’s parish, particularly through the Knights of Columbus. He will be remembered as a strong personality who spoke and lived his convictions.

A Rosary will be held at 9:00 a.m., Saturday, May 30, 2026, at St. Michael Catholic Church in Craig. A Mass of Christian burial will follow at 9:30 a.m. Interment will be held at Craig Cemetery.