Walter A. Rouiller

To those who had the pleasure of knowing him, Walter Alfred Rouiller was a man of great honor, integrity, and solidity. He faught hard for what he believed, and his committment to his family was the force that governed his life. Whether he was bravely serving his country or graciously caring for his family, Walter showed unwavering passion in everything he did. The 1930s were a difficult time for Americans. Money was scarce because of the Great Depression, and families were left to their own devices to keep healthy and happy. In Toledo, Ohio, one family found reason to celebrate, with the birth of their son Walter on July 19, 1933. Walter's father, Norman, was a carpenter, and his mother Thelma (Fegley) was a housewife. Walter was one of six children, enjoying his childhood alongside Barbara, Jack, Pauline, Paul, and Laura Boots." It was at a young age that Walter learned the importance of family, a value that would stay with him his whole life. As young boy, Walter loved playing with his brothers and getting into mischievous things. They would often sneak into to movies together, and loved motorcycles and cars. Like many children in those days, Walter attended school up to the sixth grade and then left to start working with his father. It was then that Walter learned the craft of carpentry, another skill that would stick with him. He had a scrutinous eye for detail, and built beautiful things. As he grew into a young man, Walter was able to take on bigger projects, and he even helped his grandfather build the Coast Guard Cutter, the Mackinaw. Walter bravely served in the US Air Force as a young man, learning the importance of hard work and dedication to a cause. After leaving the Air Force, Walter made another life changing discovery when he met the woman he would fall in love with, JoAnn Mann. Walter was introduced to her by his sister, Pauline. The two began dating immediately, and quickly fell in love. They were married September 11, 1954. It was not long before Walter and JoAnn began growing a family of their own. They were blessed with five wonderful children, David, Penny, Henry, Steven, and Tina. Walter was endlessly devoted to his children and family, and would do anything to see that they were well taken care of. Along with great success in life also comes great difficulty, and Walter had his share of unfortunate circumstances in his days. His mother so sadly passed away at the young age of 52, which hurt Walter greatly. And in 1960 Walter was in an awful car accident that left him in the hospital for fourteen months. After bringing in a surgeon from France to work on his left leg, Walter began to recover. His loving family was always the perfect motivation for Walter to get back to normal. In 1964, Walter and his family moved from Ohio to the beautiful Lake Michigan town of Grand Haven, Michigan. It was there that he began working at Ottawa Steel. The family enjoyed all the things Grand Haven had to offer, especially its beautiful beaches and sand dunes. It was a great place to raise a family. Walter and JoAnn loved taking their family on day trips. The kids would get up Sunday morning and and it was not unusual for a day trip to take place. The Kids never knew where they might end up or what they might get to see, which was all part of the excitement. Walter and his family enjoyed going back to Toledo to visit family. They would always stop in at Tony Packo's to see how many hot dogs they could eat. In 1970, Walter and JoAnn recieved the awful news that their 19 year old son had been killed in Vietnam. Despite this horrible loss, nothing could ever keep Walter from being proud of his son and his incredibly brave role in the Vietnam War. Walter was overjoyed when his children began getting married and having children of their own. Being a grandfather was very special to Walter, and he loved to spoil the grandkids every chance he got. He enjoyed taking his grand children for the mystery car rides and fishing, just as he had done with his own kids. After Walter retired in 1993, Walter and JoAnn enjoyed going to flea markets and yard sales, which also meant more time for mystery road trips and traveling. Walter loved the holidays because that meant family time and spoiling everybody. Walter's every day initiative was to have fun with his family. He was such a caring and kind person, and was even known to bring home any stray animal in need of a home. A difficult time in Walter's life was the loss of his beloved wife, JoAnn, in 2004. In this time he really relied on the love of his family to get through it all. He then started doing more with the great grandchildren, having them spend the night, taking road trips and giving them money to go by things. Walter also enjoyed watching TV with the great grandchildren, and they even got him watching the Disney Channel, which he is said to have begun watching even when the kids were not around. It was not unlike Walter to go above and beyond for his family. Later, in 2010, Walter suffered the loss of his beautiful daughter, Penny. With his family at his side, Walter mourned this loss while graciously keeping his head up. Unfortunately, Walter A. Rouiller, age 77, died Thursday, July 7, 2011. He will be so deeply missed. Walter had two favorite sayings: "Never take the same road twice" and "You're never lost if you're in Michigan." These both sum up his adventurous spirit, reminding us that the great things in life are the things we are brave enough to go after. He was a wonderful father and grandfather, loving and willing to fight for what he believed was right. Surviving are his children, Henry (Debra) Rouiller, Steven Rouiller Sr., Tina Rouiller, all of Grand Haven; grandchildren, Jodie (Scott) Gracey, Alicia (Joe) Ives, Stacy Rouiller, Jessica Rouiller, Steven Rouiller Jr.; 10 great grandchildren; sister, Pauline (Frank) Rosenbrook; brother, Jack (Kathy) Rouiller; brother-in-law, Richard (Pauline) Mann; several nieces, nephews & cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, JoAnn; son, David; and daughter, Penny Pelletier. Services will be held Saturday, July 9, 2011, 2:00 PM, with visitation one hour prior to the service at the Clock Chapel-Grand Haven. Interment at Lakeshore Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Mercy Health Partners Johnson Family Center For Cancer Care.