Walter "Wally" A. Doering

Walter “Wally” A. Doering, age 83 of Waukesha, WI, passed away peacefully on April 12, 2019. Wally is survived by his wife of 49 years, Bernadette “Bernie”; his children, Michelle (Shawn) Fitzpatrick, Steven Doering, James (Traci) Doering and Daniel Doering; grandsons Collin and Connor Fitzpatrick (of whom he was very proud); other relatives and many, many friends. Wally was preceded in death by his parents, Walter E. and Gertrude Doering and his sister Marlene (Doering) Webber.

Wally was born in Wausau, Wisconsin on September 14, 1935 and grew up on the family farm in Athens, Wisconsin. He attended Athens High School where he lettered in basketball for 2 years, baseball for 1 year and served as class president for 3 years before graduating in 1953. He also lettered in band where he played the trumpet and served as Athens High School Representative to the Badger Boys State between his junior and senior year. He spent several years working in sales in Minnesota, where he met Bernie, and they were married on October 11, 1969. Wally’s career took him and Bernie to Barbados before eventually settling in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 1971 to raise their family and where Wally worked for many years as manager of Randall’s Furniture Store and McCoy’s Furniture Store. Wally continued his furniture career at Steinhafels Furniture in Waukesha for 28 years where he was one of their top salesmen, quickly establishing a large, devoted client base and earning many sales awards during his career. Wally loved music and played the trumpet in several polka bands in Central Wisconsin for 20 years, including Bob Storck & His Band and the Roger Allen Orchestra. Wally loved all Wisconsin sports teams. He was an avid golfer and played on and managed several successful softball teams for the Waukesha Park & Rec for many years. Wally was also on several bowling leagues for many years, playing at Sunset Bowl and AMF in Waukesha, and even bowled a 300-game. He spent his free time watching various sports games live and on TV (his favorite teams were the Brewers, the Packers, the Badgers and the Bucks) and he enjoyed spending time with his family, going to movies, golfing and going for walks. Wally also enjoyed traveling, having visited Europe and every state in the Contiguous U.S., and he enjoyed spending the past several winters in Gulf Shores, Alabama with Bernie and their friends. Wally was a loving husband, father, grandfather, and friend to everyone. Ask anyone that knew Wally to describe him and they would say that Wally was just a genuinely nice guy with a great sense of humor who always had a story to tell and could easily talk with anyone. Perhaps Wally’s greatest achievement was his creation of the “Doering Open” in 2006, an annual charity golf outing in memory of his sister Marlene, who passed away from cancer in October 2005. Over the past 14 years, and through the tireless efforts of Wally and his volunteers, the Doering Open raised over $100,000 to benefit ProHealth Care’s cancer services, heart and vascular services and Angels Grace Hospice.

The family would like to extend a very special thank you to Dr. Christopher Hake and the staff at UW Cancer Center at ProHealth Care, as well as the staff at Angels Grace Hospice in Oconomowoc for their support and loving care of Wally.

Services will take place on Sunday, April 28, 2019 at Ascension Lutheran Church, 1415 Dopp Street, Waukesha, WI 53188, with visitation from 3:00pm until time of service at 5:00pm. Pastor Chris Marien will preside. Private entombment will be at Prairie Home Cemetery in Waukesha on Monday, April 29, 2019.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in the name of The Doering Open to the UW Cancer Center at ProHealth Care, N16 W24131 Riverwood Drive, Waukesha, WI 53188, the UW Health Heart & Vascular Center at ProHealth Care, 725 American Avenue, Waukesha, WI 53188, and Angels Grace Hospice, W359 N7430, Brown Street, Oconomowoc, WI 53066 are greatly appreciated.

“To live on in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.”