Walter Ralph Smith, 97, of Cheyenne, formerly of Laramie, died of natural causes on January 5, 2021, at Granite Nursing Home in Cheyenne. Walter was born to Benjamin and Mable (Moore) Smith on January 23, 1923 and was one of twelve children. He grew up on the Middle Creek Ranch in the rural area northeast of Bosler, Wyoming.

Walter attended school in the Bosler and Laramie areas.

After two years of high school, Walter struck out on his own and entered the working world. He wanted to be on his own and make his own living. Walter worked in the timber industry, as a ranch hand, and in building construction, as well as road and airport construction, which gave him an education in carpentry and heavy equipment operation. He continued his life education by working with his dad and brother moving houses in the Laramie area.

In November 1941, Walter married Helen Marjorie Busard (aka Jimi Bradley). They were living in Dayton, Oregon when their son, Benjamin Walter Smith II was born in May of 1943. Walter was drafted into the Army in March 1944. In May of 1945, Walter and “Jimi” were divorced. Little Benjamin (Benny) was taken to Wyoming to live with Walter’s

parents, Ben and Mable. On May 21, 1949, Walter married Irma June Smith (née Smith). They had a daughter, Judith Ann, born April 15, 1950. Walter and June remained married until June’s passing in 2012. June is buried in Salida, Colorado.

Walter’s first assignment in the military was in World War II with Company F, 63rd Infantry, 6th Infantry Division stationed in the Philippines. In February 1946, Walter returned to the United States. He was in the Reserve Corps when he was called to active duty 1950-51 for the Korean War. After returning to Wyoming, Walter worked for the Union Pacific Railroad and had various jobs in the Laramie area.

In 1957, Walt and June operated the Standard filling station and grocery store in Bosler. They operated this business until 1960. While running the store at Bosler, Walt and June spent weekends building a house on WY Highway 34 across from his parents’ Middle Creek Ranch. Every part of that house was built by the hands of the two of them. Walt and June sawed every board and hammered every nail. The house was unfinished but livable when the family moved into it in 1959. It was never entirely completed.

In 1961, Walter was once again called to serve his country with the

National Guard, who stationed him in Ft. Lewis, Washington for a year. From 1962 to 1967, Walter worked at the iron ore mine at Iron Mountain, Wyoming. He then moved his family to Laramie and went to work for Ivinson Memorial Hospital from 1967 to 1975. When his degenerative eye disease got to the point where he could no longer work safely, he was forced to retire.

It cannot be left out that Walter loved to dance. Walter and June were active members of Quadra Dangle Square Dance Club in Laramie. Later, while residing at Granite Rehabilitation Center in Cheyenne, Walter was known to dance in the halls with the nurses and aides. Walter was also an avid player of card games, his favorites being pinochle and hearts.

He also had a great sense of humor and was often telling jokes or putting a humorous spin on something.

For several years, Walter and June spent exhaustive hours researching their families’ genealogies (without computers or the internet). Because of their research, in 1980 they organized a HUGE family picnic where people from all branches of the family tree came from all over the United States to get acquainted. The family members wore colored name tags that indicated which branch of the family tree they were from.

Walter had many interests and stated that, “During my lifetime, I have enjoyed big game hunting, traveling, horseback riding, and meeting people.” Walter was never rich, but he would–and often did–“give the shirt off his back” to help someone in need, without thought of recompense. He had a strong emotional reaction to television commercials (which he heard but did not see) for Save the Children, and he contributed a good deal of money to them in his lifetime. He also loved animals and, except for his hunting endeavors, was always very kind to and protective of them.

During the hey-day of CB radios, Walter had a “base station” at his home on Russell Street in Laramie. Many stranded motorists on roads in southeast Wyoming were assisted by efforts initiated by Walter when he learned of their plight on his CB radio. He and June occasionally housed and fed strangers who were waiting for car repairs or for a loved one to be released from the hospital after an accident.

Walter possessed an innate intelligence which his life did not put to use, so he often challenged himself in a variety of ways, from solving puzzles, to thinking of how to invent something, to figuring out innovative ways to do things.

In his last years, Walt suffered from dementia, which was as frustrating for him as the loss of his eyesight. When trying to remember anything, he often said–in a fiercely plaintive voice or with a resigned but disgusted shrug–“My mind is SHOT”.

Walter could not tolerate idleness. If he was awake, he was busy. As his sight diminished, his activities were necessarily curtailed, which nearly drove him crazy. Near the end of his sighted life, he began making wood furniture; many pieces of his beautiful “butcher-block” style furniture exist today.

Walt’s favorite snack was a snickerdoodle-and-bologna “sandwich”: two snickerdoodle cookies with a slice of bologna between them. His favorite meal was a slice of dried-out white bread, a slice of raw onion, and a tall glass of “ranch milk”. Food was not his forte.

Walter’s mind was too sharp and his heart too soft for him to feel at home in this rough and thoughtless world. He did not feel at home in this world, especially after his war experiences, which plagued him ‘til his death. He was an atheist throughout his adult life, but while he was residing at Granite Nursing Home one of his nephews facilitated Walter’s acceptance of Jesus Christ as his Savior.

Walter was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Irma June, brothers Earl, Russell, Gilbert and Clarence; sisters, Mary, Dorothy, Ellen, Sylvia, and Gwen; grandsons Benjamin Smith III (“Butch”) and Ralph Lucas; and granddaughter, Bronwyn Herdt. Walter is survived by his brother Vernon of Reno, NV and sister Hazel, Lawrenceville, PA. He is also survived by his two children: Benjamin Walter Smith II, Battle Mountain, NV, and Ann Chavez of La Plata, NM. He leaves behind granddaughters, Demia Zeimens, Becky Smith, and Nikki Lucas, grandson Billy Lucas, and three great-grandchildren, Jonah Zeimens, Payton Smith, Tanisha Kipp and many nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the American Red Cross, Foundation for Fighting Blindness, Lion’s of Wyoming Foundation, your local Lion’s Club or a charity of the donor’s choice.

Memorial services will be held at a later date with interment at Middle Creek Ranch Memorial Cemetery.