Wallace Albert Wilcher

Wally was born in Dublin, GA, to parents Murray Albert Wilcher and Frances Hadden Wilcher. He graduated from Sidney Lanier High School in Macon, GA, in 1958. He attended Georgia Tech for Mechanical Engineering, completing his BS at Clemson University. Wally married Carolyn Coe in 1963. After Wally’s graduation in 1964, they moved to Tampa, FL, where he accepted a job with Tampa Electric Company (TECO). Two years later, Wally enlisted in the US Army, heading to Germany. He and Carolyn lived outside of Stuttgart, and Wally was the company commander of the 93rd Engineering Company, a float bridge unit stationed in Nellingen. He was honorably discharged as a First Lieutenant, returning to Tampa and to his job at TECO. Wally spent more than thirty-five years there, first becoming the Superintendent of Big Bend Power Plant and retiring as the General Manager of Power Plant Production. Wally came out of retirement in the early 2000s to become the Facilities Manager of Bayshore Presbyterian. After a few years, he brought that same skill set to his own church, Palma Ceia Presbyterian, where he joyfully served for fifteen years, retiring for good in 2019. Over his career, Wally was a member of Leadership Tampa and he served as an Elder in the Presbyterian Church.

Wally loved God, his church, his country, his family, and his friends. He was an amazing Girl Scout Dad, teaching Catheryn’s troop how to set up tents and build campfires. He enjoyed scuba diving with his family, especially in the Keys off their boat The Ramblin’ Wreck. He always looked forward to his trips to Europe with Carolyn and Lee. He loved tinkering with Catheryn’s 1970 Volkswagen Bug convertible. And every morning he enjoyed greeting the PCPC preschoolers, who called him “Mr. Wally.”

Wally passed away peacefully after a lengthy illness on August 17, 2026, under the wonderful care of the medical staff of Bayshore Pointe and Lifepath Hospice. He will be sadly missed by Carolyn, his wife of 63 years, his son Lee, his daughter Catheryn and son-in-law John Thomas, grandchildren Alex Thomas and Rachel Thomas, and his exchange student “daughters” Carmen DeOude of The Netherlands and Nadja Ruth of Germany.

A memorial service will be held at Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church on Saturday, September 26, at 2pm, with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church.