Walter Lawrence Zych

**Walter Zych**

Fort Myers, Florida — Walter Zych, a husband, father, and Vietnam veteran who lived life his way, passed away peacefully on February 26, 2025, at the age of 80 in Fort Myers, Florida, where he settled in his later years. Born on August 10, 1944, in Toledo, Ohio, to Walter and Sophia Zych, he was raised in a working-class neighborhood, where the rhythm of hard work and street grit shaped his early years.

Walter grew up in Toledo’s blue-collar core, then headed to Flint, Michigan, to attend the General Motors Institute (GMI), turning his roots into a career at General Motors that spanned over 40 years. He worked there before and after his Vietnam service, living in Harrison Township, Michigan, majority of those years. His job kept him traveling often, providing well for his family through it all. Cars were part of his world—he’d occasionally hit car shows, bringing home exotic cars from work and sharing these experiences with his boys.

In the Vietnam War, he served with the Americal Division of the U.S. Army, facing tough times with a no-nonsense attitude. Emotions weren’t his thing; he let his actions speak. Back home, he returned to GM, putting in the traveling and years that provided a great life for his family. Weekends in Harrison Township meant boating on Lake St. Clair, cracking a beer and playing music—a ritual that carried over to Put-in-Bay on Lake Erie, where he took the family every year for a boating trip that became a tradition.

He married Catherine “Kay” Zych on February 9, 1974, and they celebrated 51 years together just weeks before his passing. After retiring, they swapped Michigan’s chill for Fort Myers’ sun, but the water stayed in his blood.

He leaves behind Kay, his wife of 51 years; his children, Walter, John, and daughter-in-law Erica; and his sisters, Valerie Brazeau, Patricia Shultz, and Paulette Attie. He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Sophia, who brought him up in Toledo’s working-class mold.

A private memorial will be held by the family at a later date.

Walter Zych left as he lived—always the last to leave the party. Rest easy, Walter, with calm waters and an ice cold beer.