Early this month my uncle, Walter Trutko, died. He was my mother's younger brother, the youngest of the children of her family.
He was born in Akron, Ohio, on January 27, 1925, and lived most of his adult life in Cleveland, Ohio. As a youth he worked as a soda jerk and newsboy but enlisted in the Army immediately upon graduating from Akron's South High School. He served in the infantry in the Battle of Bulge where he was badly wounded by mortar fire.
Following his war service he took advantage of the G.I. Bill to attend college where he met Helen Fogg, whom he was to marry the next year.
Walter worked at other jobs but was seriously interested in the stock market. He was able to make an old dream come true when, in 1962, the Bache Company offered him training and a position as a broker. He later worked for other firms but finally earned a position at Merrill Lynch where he stayed for over 25 years.
Uncle Wally and Aunt Helen had three children, Jim, Joanne, and John. Their lives together were replete with happy memories of boating on Lake Erie, football games at Brown stadium, beach vacations, and the simple pleasures of burgers at a favorite hang-out.
I only met him a few times, and when I was very young. What I remember most is his big smile.
