Walter Thomas Raney

Walter was born on November 5, 1934 to Thomas and Ruth in Brooklyn, NY. After graduating from Baldwin High School in 1951 he went on to study Industrial Electronic Engineering at RCA Institute in Manhattan, NY.

After graduation, Walter decided to join the United States Navy. Walter served in the Navy for 20 years. His service included two tours in Vietnam. He loved his country, and was most proud of his service in the military. After his military service Walter worked for Bell Atlantic/ATT until his retirement in 1995.

In 1954 he met Marie O’Brien and they wed in 1962, going on to have two children, AnnMarie and Thomas. They made their home and raised their children in Lanoka Harbor, NJ. After raising his children and having completed two careers, Walter and Marie achieved their dream of retiring to sunny Florida where he had built their dream house.

When Walter retired in 1995, he and Marie moved to Orlando, FL to be closer to lifelong friends Bob and Cleora Johnson. Walter and Bob had met during their mutual military service in the Navy and were “brothers” ever since. They shared a lifetime of memories over a 55+ year span. Bob was Walter’s loyal friend and advocate after Marie’s passing. At any given time Bob and Walter could be found reminiscing about their former lives in the military. Their friendship was a comfort and joy for Walter especially after Marie passed away.

Walter was a force of nature, determined to provide for his family and give them the life he felt they deserved. His family meant more to him than anything else in the world, something he often mentioned. He was unendingly proud of his 57 year marriage to Marie and always told the best stories about how it took him 8 years to get her to marry him. Their honeymoon in Hawaii was described by Walter as epic. They traveled to Japan a few years ago to visit their son Thomas which then became his favorite vacation of all the vacations they had taken during their marriage. They were inseparable until she passed away in 2019.

Walter was also passionate about the Dodgers baseball team. He never missed a chance to cheer his team on and always held out hope that they would win the World Series every year.

Walter loved his animals and had many special dogs over the years starting with his very first dogs Spot and Ginger. None were more special though than his faithful companion Chewey who was his most loyal canine friend. He had quite literally been by Walter’s side for the last 7 years, helping him get through the pain of losing Marie in 2019, and keeping him safe as his Alzheimer’s progressed.

Walter was predeceased by his parents Thomas and Ruth, and his wife Marie. He is survived by his children AnnMarie and Thomas. Three grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his honor to the Alzheimer’s Association at: alz.org or any charity of your choosing.

There will be at visitation on January 31, 2022 from 5 PM to 8 PM at Chapel Hill Cemetery 2420 Harrell Road Orlando, FL 32817

A funeral mass will be celebrated on February 1, 2022 at 10:30 AM at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church 5300 Old Howell Branch Rd Winter Park, FL 32792

Burial will be at Chapel Hill Cemetery immediately following mass. The family would like to invite all to a reception in Walter’s honor immediately after the graveside service at Chapel Hill Cemetery.

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