In Memoriam: Longtime TAPPI Member, Wally Z. Walters (April 15, 1930 – April 3, 2022)
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Longtime TAPPI member , Wally Z. Walters passed away at the graceful age of 91 years old on April 3, 2022, in Gloucester, Virginia. Wally, a once active and prominent member in the pulp and paper industry was born and raised in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, he earned two PhD degrees, in Chemical Engineering and in Organic Chemistry, from the Institute of Paper Chemistry in Appleton, Wisconsin. For several years, he was also an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve.
Wally’s research revolutionized production of paper, shifting from batch to continuous flow processing. He subsequently invented new types of paper for use in copying machines, frozen food containers, automobile interiors and more, touching millions of lives every day. As a registered engineer and paper company executive, he oversaw development of several paper manufacturing plants, providing livelihood for thousands of people in multiple communities. For many years he was Executive Vice President, and then Vice Chairman of the nation’s largest privately-held pulp and paper corporation.
Over two decades, he and his wife built a 50-foot sailboat and subsequently lived aboard for several years, sailing throughout the Caribbean and Scandinavia. After residing in many places throughout the Northeastern U.S., they settled in Gloucester, Virginia, in 1991. Locally, Wally belonged to the Gloucester Rotary and Ruritan Clubs, and supported the annual Daffodil Festival. A 32nd Degree Mason and Shriner, he was a member of Gloucester’s Botetourt Lodge #7. He enjoyed woodworking, fishing, training birddogs, and building aerobatic model airplanes.
Wally was predeceased by his wife of 67 years, Mary Snider Walters, in 2020. He is survived by sons Wally and William, daughter Jordan and granddaughter Victoria.
