Walter Paul Rybak

Walter “Walt” Paul Rybak, 85, of Toano, Virginia, passed away peacefully on Monday November 11, 2024. Walt was born on June 2, 1939, in Oil City, Pennsylvania into a proud and large Polish family of three brothers and three sisters. He attended St. Joseph High School and graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 1961. After college, Walt attended Naval Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Newport, Rhode Island. After OCS, Walt was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, where he served for several years as a Communications Officer, frequently crossing the Atlantic to Scotland. After voluntary discharge from The Navy, Walt worked in numerous sales roles in New York, Connecticut and Maryland, his longest tenure being nearly 30 years with International Business Machines (IBM). In his personal time, he was an avid outdoorsman with a love for fishing, hunting, skiing, golf, gardening and nature. A caring, kind and generous man, nothing brought more joy to Walt than lending you a helping hand. Walt is survived by his daughter, Holly; his son, Paul (wife Maggie); his beloved grandsons, PJ and James; his brothers, Kevin, Greg and Alan; and his sister, Carol. Walt is preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Mary Ann (O’Mara); daughter, Heather; his parents, Stella Agnes (Duda) and Walter Joseph; and sisters, Pamela Jean and Christine Rybak-Stover. A celebration of Walt’s life will be held on Saturday December 14, at Saint Olaf Catholic Church in Williamsburg, Virginia, at 10:30 a.m. He will ultimately be laid to rest at the Calvary Cemetery in Oil City, Pennsylvania. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to The Virginia Knights of Columbus (https://vakofc.org/donate/) and/or to Saint Olaf Catholic Church (https://www.stolaf.cc/).