Erwin Walter was born June 26, 1930, in Freidenstaldt, Bessarabia, Romania, modern-day Ukraine. His ancestral family had immigrated to the area in the early 1800’s from southern Germany. In 1940, the family was uprooted as a result of WW2 and was relocated to Poland by Nazi Germany. Erwin was the sole survivor of WW2 from his family. Displaced after the war, he immigrated to Sterling, IL in 1952 and began his 30+ year employment at Northwestern Steel & Wire (NSW) as a welder. In 1953, he married Anna Walter in St. John’s Lutheran Church. In 1954, he was drafted into the US Army, serving in Alaska, and honorably discharged in 1956, returning to Sterling and employment at NSW. Upon retiring from NSW, he started E&W Portable Welding, performing welding for many local individuals and businesses into his late 70’s. Erwin loved hunting, his hunting dogs, fishing, dancing, and watching soccer matches on TV. A good friend to many, the “Deutchman” will be remembered by those who knew him.
He is survived by 1 daughter, Carmen W. Boyer; 1 son, Mark A. Walter; 1 granddaughter, Jordan A. Nutt; and 2 great-grandchildren, Maren Nutt and Graham Nutt. He is preceded in death by his parents, sister, and wife, Anna Walter.
