Walter "Walt" John Lesiak Jr.

After a period of declining health, Walter “Walt” J. Lesiak, 86, of East Sandwich, peacefully passed away on September 29, 2026, at Royal Falmouth Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. Walt was born on August 27, 1940, in Meriden, Connecticut, to the late Walter and Lola Lesiak.

Walt graduated from Meriden High School in 1958 and went on to attend Central Connecticut State College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1962. He continued his education at The Ohio State University, earning his Master of Arts degree in 1964 and then his Ph.D. in 1970.

Walt began his professional career as the Director of the Madison County, Ohio, Title VI-A program before moving to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, where he accepted a position as a professor at Central Michigan University. He dedicated 30 years of service to CMU, where he was a distinguished and highly respected professor in the Psychology program. During his tenure, he served as Directors of the School Psychology program and the Psychology Training and Consultation Center. He served on numerous university committees, presented at conferences, and co-authored several professional articles. Additionally, Walt co-authored the Developmental Tasks of Kindergarten Readiness (DTKR) and later it’s revision (DTKR-II) with his wife, Judi.

Walt's professional interests included violence and aggression in schools, reinforcement strategies for students, school-wide behavior management systems, and consultation strategies. His expertise and commitment to helping others extended well beyond the university and led to meaningful relationships with both police and fire communities.

From 1985 to 2000, Walt consulted with the Mount Pleasant Police and Fire Departments, assisting with hiring, counseling, crisis debriefing, and crisis-scene negotiation. He also served on the Fire Investigation Team for the Isabella County Sheriff's Department and was deputized in 1985. In 1999 Walt was at the forefront of school violence research and traveled to locations where acts of school violence had occurred, seeking to understand what happened and how future tragedies might be prevented. Those visits led him to develop emergency response plans that were adopted by many agencies.

After retiring from Central Michigan University in 2000, Walt and his wife, Judi, moved to East Sandwich on Cape Cod. But Walt never truly retired. He continued to give his time, knowledge, and experience to the communities he cared about. He helped develop a school safety plan for the Sandwich Public Schools and, from 2006 through 2024, served as the Human Resource Advisor for the West Barnstable Fire Department, providing hours of advice, counseling, and support to the department and its members.

Outside of his professional life, Walt enjoyed hunting, fishing, and traveling, visiting many memorable places. Yet for all his professional accomplishments, community service, volunteer work, and adventures, Walt's greatest joy was always his family.

Walt was known as “the best Pop ever,” a title he earned through the hours he devoted to his grandsons. He rarely missed a swim meet, soccer game, baseball game, or lacrosse game. He could often be found pacing the sidelines or cheering from the stands and offering Werther’s candies to anyone nearby. He was endlessly proud of his grandson’s Ricky and Nick and treasured every moment he spent with them.

Walt’s greatest legacy will not be found in his degrees, publications, professional accomplishments, or the many communities he served. It will be found in the people he loved and the lives he touched. He leaves behind a family who will carry his love, his lessons, his humor, and his unwavering support with them always.

Walt was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 61 years, Judith F. Lesiak. He is survived by his daughter, Nicole Kennedy (Greg); his grandchildren, Richard Amsel (Savannah) and Nicholas Amsel; his step-grandchildren Caitlin Kennedy and Michael Kennedy; his step-great-grandchildren, Patton, Liam, and Cole; and his sister, Barbara Maloska of Connecticut.

Visiting hours will be held on Sunday, November 8, 2026, from 4-6pm at Nickerson-Bourne Funeral Home, 154 Rt. 6A, Sandwich, MA, Mass of Christian burial will be on Monday, November 9, 2026, at 11am, Corpus Christi Parish, 324 Quaker Meeting House Rd. East Sandwich, MA, burial will follow at Sandwich Town Cemetery.

The family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the caregivers from TLC Private Home Care, the staff at Royal Falmouth Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, and Trinity Hospice for the compassionate care, kindness, and support they provided to Walt and his family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Walter’s memory to the American Psychological Foundation to help bring psychological services to communities in need. Donations may be made online at ampsychfdn.org. Please include Nicole Kennedy and [email protected] as the notification contact so that our family may be notified of your generous remembrance.