Walter A. Hildebrand

Walter Hildebrand was born on May 13, 1924, in Hennersdorf, Czechoslovakia to Karl and Christine Hillebrand. He was the third child in a family of five, having two older brothers and two younger sisters.

He developed a love of flying at the age of 14, and by age 18 had completed his Silver Wings in sail planes. Walter was attending high school at Freudental, Czechoslovakia, when World War II began. He was drafted by the German Air Corp in 1942, attended the Air Force Academy, and wound up flying for the Luftwaffe.

Following WWII, Walter relocated to Frankfurt, Germany and went to work for the U S Armed Forces in Frankfurt. He married longtime friend, Gisela Schneiderwinkel on October 2, 1947. While working as Comptroller for the 97 ^th General Hospital, Walter met First Lt. Wm. T. Diss, Jr. and his wife Minnie. They became fast friends and when Lt. Diss was returning state-side, he asked Walter and his family to move to the United States.

Walter, Gisela, and daughter Christl, sponsored by the Diss family, left everything behind and moved to Wray, CO in 1955. Walter began working as a cashier for the National Bank of Wray where Wm. T Diss Sr. served as President. Another daughter, Barbara joined the family in 1958. Walter was able to continue his education and on August 2, 1960, graduated with special honors from the Colorado School of Banking at the University of Colorado. One of Walter’s proudest moments was when he and Gisela received their citizenship on June 29, 1961. At the time of his retirement in 1989, Walter, now an Executive Vice-President, had been with the bank for 34 years.  He served on various bank boards and continued as a Bank Director for many years afterwards.

During this time, Walter was able to recapture his love for flying. He got his pilots license and became a 1/3 owner of a Piper 28-180 Cherokee airplane. Walter enjoyed playing tennis, skiing, listening to opera, and his favorite German music, and traveling to Europe to visit his family in Germany. He kept a meticulous yard and was an avid card player. He was very active in the community, serving as past President of the Wray Chamber of Commerce, Treasurer of the Wray Lions Club, served on the board of St. Andrew’s Catholic Church, and the WRAC board.   After his retirement, learning to run a computer became his next challenge. He loved spending whatever time he could with his grandchildren.

Walter passed away on September 19, 2017. He is survived by his wife Gisela, daughters, Christl (Keith) Bales and Barbara Westerman. Grandchildren, Brian Bales, Michael (Heather) Bales, Laura (Adam) Moore, Robert Westerman, and Emily Westerman. Great grandchildren, Chase Bales, McKena Bales, and Liam Moore. He is also survived by a sister, Wilma Hess, and several nieces and nephews living in Germany.

Walter and Gisela would have celebrated their 70 ^th wedding anniversary on October 2 ^nd . They have often commented on how blessed they were to live in the Wray community all of these years.

A Rosary will be held at the St. Andrew Catholic Church in Wray, Colorado on Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, September 25, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. at the St. Andrew Catholic Church in Wray, Colorado with Father Jonathan Dellinger officiating. Memorials may be made to Hillcrest Care Center or St. Andrew Catholic Church. Cremation was requested. Schmidt-Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.