It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of our beloved mother, Sarah Speer Walter. Born in Staten Island, New York on September 9, 1927, Sarah was the first of three children born to Frances A. Speer and John F. Speer. She moved to Ridgewood, New Jersey as a teenager, where she met her future husband, Dolph P. Walter, as high school sweethearts.
Sarah attended Wheaton College in Massachusetts and after graduation, she married Dolph on July 30, 1949. After the birth of four children in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, the family relocated to Flossmoor, Illinois in 1964.
Sarah received her Master’s Degree in School Psychology and taught elementary education at the Kirby School District for 21 years, retiring in 1990. She had a wide range of interests and abilities, including being an active member of Flossmoor Country Club and involved with the Women’s 18 Holer’s group for many years. She belonged to the Chicago Fortnightly Club and was Past President of the JB PEO chapter in Flossmoor. Sarah was an avid reader, belonging to three book clubs and volunteering at the Homewood Library. She was a long-time member of St. John the Evangelist Church in Flossmoor and also enjoyed crafting, gardening, skiing and was also an excellent cook and enjoyed playing bridge with her friends.
Sarah is survived by her four children Francie Roberts of Homer, Alaska, Dolph P. Walter Jr. of Homewood, Illinois, Thomas (Billie) Walter of Hallandale, Florida, and Mark (Jennifer) Walter of Fairfax, Virginia. She also leaves behind three beloved grandchildren, Luke (Nicole) Roberts, Matthew Walter, and Sarah Walter, as well as her sister Hope (Al) Fagan, her cousins Sarah Ann Kisner, Robert Speer, and George Vroom. She was predeceased by her husband Dolph P. Walter, her brother John F. Speer Jr., and her cousins Joan Bateman, Sondra Scott, and Charles Speer Jr.
As per her wishes, a celebration of her life will be held in Homewood, Illinois for her friends, followed by a gathering in eastern Pennsylvania for services this coming summer. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in her honor be made to Planned Parenthood, the Homewood Public Library or St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church in Flossmoor.