Walter Fawver Bishop (Walt), 89, passed away peacefully while surrounded by loved ones on the morning of February 5th.
Walt was born July 16, 1933, to Ivan and Florence Bishop in Tampico, Illinois. He was raised alongside his older brother, Terry, and his two younger sisters, Jane and Athlene. After graduating from Tampico High School, Walt went on to study architectural engineering at Knox college before transferring to The University of Texas at Austin.
It was in Austin that he met and married Dauna Crawford tember of 1954. They were blessed with four sons, Kevin, Brian, Douglas, and Dwight. In 1956, Walt moved his family to Washington state to work for Boeing and began four years of service in the Army Reserve.
In 1957, he settled in Auburn, WA and continued his career with the General Services Administration. Walt was an active member in the Auburn community serving on several boards including Valley Cities Behavioral Healthcare, YMCA, and the Construction Specifications Institute where he was a charter member and served as President of the Seattle chapter.
Walt was an avid traveler and lived and worked abroad in Saudi Arabia before retiring and returning to Auburn in 1989. In 1990, Dauna passed away and in 1991 Walt married Judith Alexander with whom he spent the rest of his years with traveling, watching their grandchildren grow up and cheering on the Washington Huskies.
As a member of the United Methodist Church and later Messiah Lutheran Church, Walt volunteered in many programs in addition to serving on the council and singing in the choir. Walt also was a Kiwanis member as well as treasurer for his sons’ Boy Scout troop. Walt also enjoyed many activities including golf, gardening, skiing, camping, tennis, and bridge among others.
Walt was preceded in death by his first wife, Dauna. He is survived by his loving wife, Judith, siblings Terry, Jane, and Athlene, four sons, Kevin (Sharon), Brian (Michele), Douglas (Vicky), and Dwight (Laurie), and step children Linda (Dan), Tom (Alicia), and Douglas. Walt was also a loving grandfather to 22 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren.
Services will be held at Messiah Lutheran Church in Auburn at 11:00 am on Friday, March 3rd. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to be made to the Auburn Food Bank.
