Walter McGill

Walt attended Glendale High School where he played football and ran track. He graduated but missed the graduation ceremonies at the end of his senior year, because he and several of his classmates were drafted into the US Army for World War II in the spring of 1944.

Walt attended basic training at Fort Hood in Killeen TX. After basic training, he was assigned to Fort Rucker in AL for his advanced training. Walt was then assigned to the Japan invasion force. On 7 Sept 1945, his regiment crossed the International Date Line while on board merchant marine ships headed for the Philippines where their final preparation for the Japanese invasion was to be done. Then VJ day happened & the invasion was called off! Instead of the invasion,Walt served at Clark Field in the Philippines for 6 months until the troops were brought back home. He was honorably discharged from the 343rd Infantry Regiment on 27 Nov 1946 as the rank of Corporal. Walt was awarded the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the Philippines Independence Ribbon. He qualified as a marksman in the M-1 rifle (3 Apr 1945) and was additionally trained in Morse Code Radio Communications and Radio Repair. He also was schooled in heavy equipment maintenance.

Upon his discharge from the Army, Walt returned to AZ, and to the family farm where he grew up. Once home, he helped build his folks their first indoor bathroom! Walt also worked in the local home construction industry and for a short time for the R.J. Reynolds Aluminum Co. at 35th Ave and Indian School. In 1949 Walt enrolled at the University of Arizona where he joined the Kappa Alpha fraternity and was an Education major. During his time at UofA, Walt met and courted Janet Wood. From the time they first met, the couple were inseparable!

The couple was married April 2nd of 1953. Graduating from the UofA the next month, Walt and Janet planned to move to Washington State for the summer, where Walt was going to work on the fishing boats. However, upon arriving in Seattle they learned that the boats had already hired their crews and had left the docks for Alaska for the rest of the fishing season! Walt and Jan began working their way back down the Northwest coast looking for a saw mill job. Walt landed a job at the Roseburg Mill in Roseburg OR. At the end of the summer, he turned down an offer from the Roseburg Mill to stay on as a permanent employee and the newly weds moved back to Tempe AZ. Walt enrolled in ASU to earn his Masters degree in Education.

The first year of Walt's schooling, Jan taught school at Kyrene Elementary school in Tempe. The second year Walt taught part time at Kyrene and continued with night classes. Since married couples could not teach at the same school, Jan then moved to teach at Montebello Elementary school. The couple heard that California paid very well for teachers, so Walt and Jan moved to Long Beach, CA after Walt was offered a teaching job at Polytechnic High School in 1955.

That fall, daughter Valerie was born during a time when the Long Beach area was experiencing extreme smog for days on end. After December brought record breaking rain falls causing river beds to overflow and deadly flooding, the young couple decided they really would rather raise Valerie back in Arizona where the traffic and air quality was better, plus closer to family too! They moved back to Phoenix in the spring of 1956. However, since classes had already resumed, Walt sold Kirby vacuums that semester for some income! Walt was hired by the Washington School district the fall of 1956. The district was experiencing severe overcrowding at that time, so his first year teaching Walt had over 50 students in his home room, meaning many students had to share desks! He taught full time and continued to finish up his Masters degree with night classes those first few years. Walt spent most of his career at Desert View Elementary school teaching and mentoring in the Industrial Arts field. Walt retired from teaching in 1983 but continued to work in the school district’s print shop until 1988.

Walt dearly loved taking his family on 4-wheeling adventures around Castle Hot Springs and the lower Bradshaw Mountains. In addition, he loved to go camping, especially at the Grand Canyon! Spending time vacationing with family and celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, Thanksgiving & Christmas traditions with both family & dear friends was very important to Walt.

Besides being a superior woodworker, Walt was also an excellent automobile mechanic who kept his 1941 Ford, 1968 Dodge Monaco and his 1963 International Scout in tip-top shape. Having grown up during the Depression, his family had always fixed everything themselves at the ranch to keep things working. So for his entire 90 years, Walt maintained that same mindset, taking apart & fixing everything around the house & on his cars! He was also known for his “Cocktail Trees” in his back yard. Each tree bore 3 or 4 different citrus fruits that he and his brother Ralph had budded and graphed into root stock.

Walter passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of October 20, 2016. Walt is survived by his wife of 63 years Janet and his daughter Valerie (Dave Garrison) Flagstaff, two grandsons; Michael (Kyla) Garrison of Flagstaff, AZ and Daniel (Amanda) of Del Rio, TX plus 3 great grandchildren; Kate and Ian Garrison of Flagstaff and (soon to be born!) Chesley Taylor of Del Rio, Tx.

Please contact family for information on Service date & time.