Walt was born in Quantico, Virginia, on February 16, 1943 to Dorothy Tritle Moeling, originally of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Walter G. Moeling, III, also of Philadelphia and a World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient. After the War, the Moeling family settled in Hillwood, Alabama to build the family’s lumber business, Sterling Lumber Company. When Walt was in elementary school, the family moved to Goodwater, Alabama and then ultimately settled in nearby Alexander City when Walt was in Middle School. That same year, Walt took Nell Askew on their first date, to the school’s Halloween carnival, beginning a young romance that ultimately blossomed into fifty-three years of marriage.
Walt attended Duke University on a football scholarship, and went on to earn his JD from Duke in 1968 (becoming the ultimate Blue Devils fan). After graduation, he and Nell, with their newborn son, Chuck, moved to Atlanta, where Walt began his 50-year career in banking law at then Powell Goldstein Frazer & Murphy and where Walt and Nell grew a remarkable and diverse community of friends. Walt’s banking clients valued him not only for his extraordinary intellect and keen legal skills but also for his terrific wit, good humor, work ethic, and easy, Southern manner. These same skills earned him a litany of honors and awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fulton County Daily Report. Walt also shared his skills with the community, whether through work with many charities, where he particularly cherished his long service on the Board of Directors for the Frazer Center, or through his unbridled enthusiasm to network with others to help further their causes.
Throughout his successful career, Walt’s focus on his family and friends never wavered. He was always present, a dedicated husband to Nell, with whom he shared many hobbies, such as fishing, golf, bridge, and SCUBA diving and snorkeling, and a travel companion to family and friends (including recent trips to Italy, Egypt and Tanzania with Nell, to Washington D.C. with his grandsons, and many trips with friends such as the Ochos). He was also a committed and involved father to his children, Chuck and Chris, and welcomed their spouses, Heide and Doug, into his family with warmth and enthusiasm. His adoration and affection for his four grandsons was obvious, and he played an instrumental and influential role in each of their lives. He called them “The Four Dragons” and they looked to their grandfather as a constant source of love and guidance. We will all miss him beyond words and will carry his love in our hearts each and every day.
Walt is survived by his wife, Nell, his children, Chuck (Heide) and Chris (Doug), his sister, Ann, his grandchildren CJ and Robert Moeling and Justin and Tyler Morgan, and his niece, Tracy Askew Meyers and nephews Ben, Lex and Mike Askew.
The family will hold a Visitation from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm followed by a Memorial Service and Reception at 2:00 pm on Sunday, March 10, 2019 at H.M. Patterson & Son - Oglethorpe Hill Chapel, 4550 Peachtree Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30319.
Memorials in Walt’s honor may be made to the Frazer Center (1815 S. Ponce de Leon Avenue NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30307) or to the Winship Cancer Institute (https://winshipcancer.emory.edu/support-winship/give/memorial-gifts.html or by mail at 1762 Clifton Road, Suite 1400, Atlanta, Georgia 30322). The family extends its sincerest thanks to the incredible medical team that supported Walt and our family throughout this journey.
DONATIONS
Frazer Center 1815 S. Ponce de Leon Avenue NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30307
Winship Cancer Institute 1762 Clifton Road, Suite 1400, Atlanta, Georgia 30322
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