Obituary of Nelda Irene Long Walter

NELDA IRENE LONG WALTER September 24, 1927 to February 10, 2020 Ms. Nelda Irene Long Walter, 92, most recently of Arlington, Virginia, died at home February 10, 2020. Nelda was born September 24, 1927 in Creagerstown, Maryland to the late H. Marie Weller Long and Clarence Elmer Long. Nelda graduated from Thurmont High School in 1944 and worked for Fairchild Aircraft in Hagerstown, Maryland until she married Charles “Jeff” Walter. She rejoined the work force after an absence of ten years spent at home with her children. She spent a number of years working in Thurmont at Moore Business Forms (now R. R. Donnelly) as an executive secretary After moving to Honolulu, Hawaii in 1972, she worked as a secretary for the Dole Food Company and Shearson Lehman Brothers, among other companies. Nelda retired and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1994, where she bought a house and lived until 2016 when she moved to Arlington, Virginia. In Arlington, she lived at Culpepper Garden, a non-profit retirement community where she made many friends. Nelda was a strong and independent woman who made her own way in life. Nelda loved her years as a “kamaaina” (a resident of Hawaii), enjoying many after-work happy-hours and weekend nights dancing with her partner Ben. She and Ben also liked going to the many entertainment shows both in Honolulu and in Las Vegas. However, she often said that the best years of her life were those spent raising her children. Nelda’s pride and joy were her family and the house she bought in Las Vegas, which she enjoyed showing off to family members. Nelda is survived by her devoted partner of 47 years, Ben Cabillon; her daughter Patricia Walter and husband Edmund Brooks of Arlington, Virginia; her son C. David Walter and wife Linda of Ocean Pines, Maryland; and her son Jeffrey Walter and wife Marian of Carroll Valley, Pennsylvania. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Jason Walter and fiancée Jessica Conaway, Silvie Walter, Keith Cotner and wife Tanya, Stacey Walter Mayne and husband Craig, Joshua Walter and wife Heather, Kimberly Cotner Wilmas and husband Justin, Jacob Walter and wife Lacey, Kyle Cotner and wife Kelly, and by fourteen great-grandchildren as well as nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, Nelda was predeceased by her daughter and son-in-law, Sheila Walter Cotner and Jimmy Cotner, her brother J. Francis Long, and sisters Hilda M. Garber and B. Louise Hoffman. No public service is planned. Memorial gifts may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis TN 38105; Capital Caring Hospice, 3180 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 500, Falls Church VA 22042; or Culpepper Garden, c/o ARHC/Executive Director, 4435 N. Pershing Drive, Arlington VA 22203.