To the Sunshine State.

Retired.

Walter and Marie remained active throughout their lives, engaging in church, community service, and their family. Walter excelled in a variety of sports, from golf where he won a trophy for a hole-in-one during Golf Day in 1957 to baseball which he played well into his 70's. (In his 80's he showed off before his grandkids by riding their bikes.)

Walter retired in 1955, leaving the dealership to the family. The business was sold in 1958. Three of their sons had moved to sunny Florida and the couple followed suit, buying a home at 302 Palmetto Lane in Belleair Bluffs. He again planted a vegetable garden. A kumquat tree in the front yielded juicy fruit and was a source of consternation to Marie as she admonished the grandkids that they "dasn't" climb it lest they fall.

But Not Tired.

He was an avid fisherman and would head out into the Gulf of Mexico in his motorboat with his friend Luper. (The kids always got a kick out of him catching grouper with Luper.) He taught the grandkids to fish, including hooking their own bait and cleaning their catch.

They were charter members of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church. Both retained their membership in Masons, Marie receiving her fifty year pin from the Betsy Ross Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star (OES). Marie was a member of the Morton F. Plant Hospital Association in Clearwater. Walter chaired the fund raising committee for the Clearwater Boy Scouts in 1966. Son Ed was astonished to find his 76-year-old father repairing the roof of the Camp Soule mess hall when he dropped his son off for summer camp.

Family gatherings were frequent and to their fifteen grandchildren it felt more like a gathering of siblings than of cousins. At picnic grounds, buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken were served, though Lorr and Dorothy each brought their versions of potato salad to share.

But in her home, Marie delighted family with her chicken curry dinner which she cooked wearing a pretty apron over her lovely dress. And for dessert - chocolate Devils Food cake baked in a sheet cake pan and slathered with dark chocolate frosting. The boys swore it was made from scratch yet she told her daughters-in-law she used a cake mix, though substituting whole milk instead of water.

Although it took years to graduate from the "kid table," most knew it was more fun to be away from the scrutiny of the grown-ups.

Family.

The couple drove back north to Arlington Heights to visit son Don's family and there were trips to LaPorte to visit his sister Mabel. The grandchildren had overnight visits and were treated to big bowls of ice cream while watching the western Gunsmoke or The Lawrence Welk Show, a musical variety show on television. Ed recalls his mother enjoyed the wrestling programs and rooted for the "hero" Chief Don Eagle.

They moved from their home to Seminole Garden Apartments early in 1971 where shuffleboard games were played with the children.

No one could ever say anything wrong about her boys "who never did anything wrong" in her eyes. Whoops! Except when their wives were involved, as she always sided with the daughters in law. ~Don Petelle

Marie was weakened by heart problems. She gifted each of her grandchildren with a token so they would remember her, a canoe-shaped crystal serving dish to one, her fifty-year OES pin to another. She died at age 78 on July 28, 1971.

Walter never went back to the apartment, relying on his family to pack it up. He lived with each of his sons in turn, traveling between their homes. In Pinellas he kept up with Kiwanis meetings.

He walked with his hands clasped behind his back. He had what Dorothy described as a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, like he was always up to something. He teased his grandchildren about "the little red headed girl down the street" who apparently was a well-behaved child. He was fiercely devoted to his family. He shared the stories of his ancestors - even if some of them were a bit embellished.

Walter died on February 22, 1981 at age 91. It was a particularly difficult year for the Ed Petelle's as Dorothy died in December. Walter was laid to rest next to Marie at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park in Safety Harbor, Florida.