Walter Allen Kerr

Walter Allen Kerr, 86, of Sarasota, Florida, passed away unexpectedly on June 3, 2020 at Doctors Hospital in Sarasota.

A native of New Castle, Pennsylvania, Walt was born on January 21, 1934, the youngest child of Elmer and Sara (Parker) Kerr. He graduated from New Castle High School in the Class of 1952. He also attended Youngstown State University.

He was a career electrician, retiring from the General Motors Assembly Plant in Lordstown, Ohio, after 30 years of service. He was a union member of UAW Local 1112. He also worked at McKay Electric and Rockwell International Corp in New Castle. He was tall and athletic, playing basketball and baseball. He was a lifelong fan of the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Browns.

He served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps from 1956-1958 during the “Cold War.” He achieved the rank of Corporal (E-4), Carrier Repeater Repairman (Telecommunications). He was the Team Leader in Stuttgart, Germany, that earned the general’s special commendation for clear field communications.

He married Donna Eshbaugh on July 21, 1962 at Epworth United Methodist Church, his family’s church and where Donna was working as Church Secretary. They served together as Methodist Youth Fellowship directors and were active in many church activities. In 1974, he moved his family to Austintown, Ohio, where they joined Western Reserve United Methodist Church in Canfield, Ohio. Walt and Donna loved to entertain friends and family. They were well known for their annual Christmas Eve parties where guests brought their favorite dishes to add to the buffet offerings, and everyone visited well into the night.

Walt retired from General Motors in early 2000, and he and Donna moved to Sarasota, Florida. They enjoyed the beach, visiting with friends, and hosting out-of-town guests, showing them the local sights and excellent restaurants. They joined Venice-Nokomis United Methodist Church in Venice, Florida, and more recently worshiped at The Church of the Palms Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, Florida.

Walt was out-going, good-natured, and sociable. His son-in-law called him “the mayor” because he always saw someone he knew regardless of where he went. Even when he vacationed in Scotland one year, he ran into a friend he didn’t realize would be vacationing there, too. He is survived by his wife, Donna; his daughter, Lisa Kerr Ilowite, and son-in-law, Dr. Robert Ilowite, of Branchburg, New Jersey; and two brothers, Gordon of Moreno Valley, California, and Bruce of Murrieta, California. He was predeceased by his parents and a sister, Leah Dietterle.

He was cremated at The National Cremation Society in Sarasota, Florida, and his cremains will be interred at a later date in Castle View Burial Park in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Arrangements for a Memorial Service to follow later this year.