Walter Clyde Vincent III

Walt was born in Gainesville, Texas February 12, 1954 to Walter Clyde Vincent Jr and Jo Anne Grundy. Due to Walt’s father’s profession working in the school system, his family lived in various places throughout Texas. Walt was a natural with his intellect and excelled in school with honors throughout his education. All subjects were easy to Walt, so easy he never cracked a book open. Walt had an amazing ability to do math problems in his head, which was something he had inherited from his paternal grandfather. Walt attended Teague High School and graduated in 1972. After graduation, he enrolled at the University of Texas and majored in chemistry.

Walt was also an accomplished saxophonist. He played all through high school and college. Walt often spoke about the thrill of playing at the football games in the marching band. While living in South Texas during his young adult life, he played with a community jazz band, even playing for his hero John Wayne, even picking up Mr. Wayne from the airport.

Walt’s direction took a shift from his studies as he sought employment at First State Bank in Gainesville, Texas. Walt learned all of the basic skills in the banking profession and began to learn a new specialty in the area of collections.

At that time, the delinquency rate at First State Bank was very high and alarming. The board of directors told the president that someone needed to be proactive in not only the collections department but also in repossessions, securing the bank’s collateral. Walt’s hard work and effective professionalism not only reduced the delinquency rate but also repossessed so many cars that the bank had to buy another auto location to even hold the recovered collateral. This was the beginning of a life-long career in this profession.

Walt drove up from Texas to visit a cousin in Washington State and fell in love with the natural beauty of the Northwest. He was immediately employed with Sea First National Bank in downtown Seattle where he advanced to being a supervisor with an excellent reputation for being a firm but fair manager. He met and married Lisa Custer (eloped and married 9/15/1989 in Las Vegas), and they were both transferred to Spokane, WA where they both started the bank card division for Sea First, which was acquired by Bank of America. Walt was then responsible for a division of collectors as a manager, specializing in the prevention of loans being “charged-off” as a loss, answering to the senior vice president. His talent for managing people and numbers were invaluable. His greatest pastimes were football and the race track and traveling the country to watch. Walt and Lisa moved back to Seattle and shortly thereafter divorced.

Walt then worked for GC Services, the largest collection agency in the U.S. He again far exceeded and excelled and was recruited by United Collection Service, the oldest collection agency in Washington. United Collections, where he worked for 15 years, valued his hard work, ethics, and character, and compensated him greatly for his achievement. IT was then he sought out Lisa again to come join him and work for “the family” on desk 29. Walt and Lisa worked and played together – a true Bonnie & Clyde team. Together, they collected millions for United Collections.

Walt retired from the profession and moved to Beaverton, Oregon, following Lisa after the death of her mother, taking his beloved dog, Max, our lab, Pookie, and a ginger cat, Kitty Boom Boom. Walt then learned the art of being a caregiver and home dialysis technician/expert after Lisa’s kidneys failed to work any longer. Walt was an active patient advocate for kidney patients – vocalizing changes that needed to be made and went to the capitol in Salem, OR.

Even to the end of his life’s last moment, he was there for Lisa to help her stay alive, a total of 33 years of love and devotion.

Walt’s life was a demonstration of faith, courage, honesty, integrity, love, kindness, and generosity. A born leader, he believed in the goodness and promise of God, and the reverence of God and his judgement if you have an unclean heart. He took life by storm and never will be forgotten.

The life of Walt Vincent will never be forgotten. The impact is so great, and the love he had for Lisa will never die.

He was a good and faithful servant for our lord and savior.