"I am very sad to hear about Walt's passing. He was a very sweet and gentle man and I am happy to have known him."
In loving memory of
Walter Pistner
January 11, 1924 - February 16, 2014
Gates: February 16, 2014. Survived by his loving wife, Ann M. (Napier) Pistner; children, Linda Pistner, David Pistner (fiancee, Cassandra King), Tim (Margaret) Pistner, Andrew Pistner, Alex Pistner, Kirk Pistner, Max Pistner; brothers, Leo Pistner, Edward (Linda) Pistner; many nieces nephews. Walt was a member of the Coast Guard during WWII Union Carbide Retiree.
All services are private at the convenience of the family in Forest Lawn Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to American Cancer Society, Memorial Processing Ctr, 6725 Lyons Street, PO Box 7, E Syracuse, NY 13057 in Walt's memory.
Walt was born on January 11, 1924 in Johnson, PA to Walter and Alice (Ferringer) Pistner. When Walt was growing up, his parents often drove the family from Buffalo to Pennsylvania to visit his grandparents. He remembered arriving very late at night and thinking that the oil drilling rigs seemed like monsters in the dark. He liked playing on his grandparent's porch. He remembered one time falling off the railing and hitting his head on a rock, fracturing his skull. His parents always said it was a miracle he was Ok, that he wasn't hurt worse.
Walt helped dig out the basement of his parent's house on Bailey Avenue, and helped his dad rebuild car engines at their home. His father bought an old Model T truck and told him he could drive it whenever he wanted, but it was his responsibility to buy the gas and repair it. Walt would go out with his friends and look for bottles that they could trade for cash to buy gas. Sometimes he would take the neighbor ladies out into the fields to go berry picking.
Walt attended ( graduated from) Amherst High School. He'd catch the bus by his house on Bailey Avenue. He'd tell the bus driver if his brother was coming or not. His brother would catch 10 minutes of extra sleep and then run across the field to catch the bus, too. Times were hard. Walt got a job as a bus boy at the Family Tree Restaurant on Bailey Avenue. Waitresses shared their tips and at closing he'd get a meal. Bus boys got the end cuts of the meat with potatoes, gravy, a vegetable. The owner said they could have any pieces of pie that were broken. Interesting enough, there seemed to be enough broken pieces for all the bus boys that night. The cook was a kind woman a great cook. Sometimes she'd have packages for Walt to take home. Walt's favorite meal has always been pot roast, mashed potatoes gravy.
When WWII started Walt went into the Coast Guard. He enlisted as an Apprentice Seamen and did his Basic Seamanship Training outside New York City. He said his instructors were hard, but fair. They were required to take the Rescue Boat, a row boat, out frequently. It was winter and often they would have ice on their coats from the water spray freezing. The instructor would always know who wasn't pulling their share and they got a lot of extra duty. At graduation my dad asked him how did he always know who wasn't pulling their share and why the strict punishment. His instructor said he could tell how the oars bent and moved in the water and that everyone needs to count on his shipmates for the safety of the ship, passengers and crew. After graduation, Walt went to Flint Michigan for Diesel School were he became a Motor Mechanic and promoted to Motor Machinist's Mate, Second Class. Later on, he contacted Acute Rheumatic Fever. He was judged not physically sound, discharged and sent home to recover.
Walt met and fell in love with Ann while working at Union Carbide, Linde Division, in Buffalo. He was Catholic and Ann's stepmother was a strict Baptist, so Walt converted his faith to marry Ann. He was baptized and became a Baptist. On November 28th, 1946 he married Anna Marie Napier at the Grace Baptist Church in Buffalo. (and were together 68 years!) They lived with Walt's parents while building their own home on Brighton Rd. It was the 3rd house on the entire street. They had some help from friends, too. Walt would tell about a concrete worker's strike, just when they were putting in their basement. So, they ended up with poured concrete floor walls for the foundation (cheaper), instead of cinderblocks. This turned out to be a great thing later on, when cinderblock basement walls in the area were shifting and cracking - but not theirs! Walt always knew that house by heart- where the studs were for hanging pictures and where all the pipes or wires ran. Initially, they had a coal furnace because it was cheaper. The coal bin would later become his workshop where he worked all his magic. On June 4th, 1950 their daughter Linda arrived. Two years later on November 24th their son David arrived. Followed by another son, Timothy on March 25th 1958. As for pets, Walt loved dogs! Over the years the family had several: a dobberman named Fritz, a boxer named Duchess, another Dobberman named Cleo, a mixed bred named Maggie, and a shepherd mix named Jenny. Early on, the family would vacation at Consecon, Ontario, Canada. They would rent a cabin on the water and swim and fish. Ann's sister, Majorie Skarin and her family would often join them. Usually they had cottages next door to one another. Walt's pride and joy were the two trophy sized fish, a Northern Pike and a Large Mouth Bass, caught one year on the same trip. He froze them both, and they remained in the basement freezer for about 15 years! Ann and Walt purchased the first of several travel trailers.
There were many family trips to Letchworth, Yellowstone Park, the World's Fair at Montreal, Quebec, Florida, Maine, Canadian Rockies, Newfoundland, and several trips to Virginia, where they would park in their friend's the Russells' yard. Sometimes, at Easter, they would camp with the Russell's at The John H. Kerr Resevior. After he retired, Walt and Ann kept their trailer at Bradenton, Florida. They enjoyed Florida so much they sold the travel trailer and purchased a mobile home in the same trailer park. The snowbirds spent many happy winters in Florida with friends, returning to Buffalo in the spring.
Walt could pretty much do anything mechanical. He built most of his house and fixed his own cars. He would check on his children's cars and often do repairs on them. Usually it was tune-ups, brakes, mufflers, alternators, belts, hoses, radiators, and body repair. He repaired lawnmowers and snowblowers. He learned how to weld from a welder on the job site he was working at. His father in law, Kirk, knew someone at a garage that wanted to sell their welding rig. Walt bought it. In order to get it home, Walt sat in the trunk of Kirk's car, holding onto the welding cart, with the tanks strapped tightly, wheels on the ground, while Kirk drove it to Walt's house. This was done very slowly, and early, on a Sunday morning! Walt liked to improve things, too. He decided he didn't like the design and materials used on the holding tank of the travel trailer he bought. So, he made a replacement out of stainless steel...problem solved. He'd help his children with their home renovations too- putting in bathrooms, water softeners, sinks, cabinet.
Walt was one of the original members of the Brighton Community Baptist Church. He made many life long friends there. He enjoyed helping others and expected nothing in return. Whether it was running a gas line for a new dryer a friend purchased, tuning up or fixed a small motor or car, putting in an electrical line, fixing a garage door...he had many talents and used them to help others.
One year Walt bought a 16 ft aluminum row boat and put a motor on it. He'd take his kids out fishing on the Niagara River, Silver Lake, Chautauqua Lake, Seneca Lake, Tionesta Resevior among other places. Walt was happy just to be out on the water. He later purchased a canoe which he took on some family vacations.
In his later years Walt became a talented bird and wild life carver. It was hard for him to quit carving animals when his hands were too arthritic. It was one of the few remaining joys he had later in his life. He was always happiest going down into the basement or out in the garage working on this, that, or the other thing. He would have been a good Tim the Tool Man Tailor. Walt liked to listen to Mantovani, The Irish Tenors, and Bagpipe Music. Some of his favorite movies were Doctor Zhivago, Chitty, Chitty Bang Bang and The Magnificent Men and their Flying Machines.
Walt always had a positive attitude, always thought that things would be alright. He was always interested in how things worked. If it was mechanical, he wanted to know the dynamics and principles. He was detailed oriented. This showed in all his work, from building huge compressors, repairing machinery, home improvements and even his animal carving. He was ready to lend a hand to those who needed it. Didn't talk about his misfortunes or make excuses for his actions. He never forgot a kindness. He didn't use profanity. If he was upset, his favorite word was 'Manischewitz'.
Walt faced many serious medical challenges in his life, but over came them. He was always grateful and appreciative of Ann's nieces and their husbands. Like guardian angels, they watched over and helped Walt and Ann thru many medical issues; saw that they received prompt and good care. Soon after what turned out to be their final visit, Walt spoke about them, saying how much he owed them and how much he appreciated all the things they had done for him and Ann over the years.
Tributes
"We are so sorry you've lost such a wonderful Dad. I was always impressed by how intelligent and interesting your father was. He seemed to know how to fix anything and everything. He had an incredibly interesting job and was obviously the "go-to" guy at work. What a truly nice and genuine person he was. He was a fantastic role model for how a true gentleman, husband and father should be, and one way that is evidenced is by the legacy he leaves: his fabulous children and grandchildren. We are so lucky to have Dave as a friend and can see your Dad in you in many ways. He lives on in your hearts, your heads, your memories, and in the fiber of your being. He will always be a big part of who you are. You will always be so proud to be his children and that he was your Dad, and he was always so proud of you. Our deepest sympathy for your loss. Love, Sue & Rob"
"Dad was born with a sunny disposition, an abiding interest in people of all kinds, a deep sense of humor and an engineer's mind. From the time he was a young man, he loved to tinker with cars, often attended by his devoted mother, Alice, who would hold an umbrella over him so that he could work in the rain. Throughout his life he was always ready to help friends with his uncanny ability to diagnose and fix any car problem. He spent many happy hours under the hood of a car, especially if he had someone to talk with while he worked. As a small child, I would hold tools for Dad, and talk to him as he lay on his back under the car. He often took us for ice cream on warm summer evenings, but to avoid getting ice cream on the upholstery, we learned to eat it squatting, like Dad, next to the car. Eventually he taught me how to change the oil, change and gap the spark plugs, and put my snow tires on in the winter. When I first moved to Maine, women in neighboring homes would send their husbands over to help me put the snow tires on, and as they reluctantly approached, they would usually tell me so, adding that it didn't look like I needed any help. "No," I would say, "my Dad taught me," and they would nod, tip their caps and go home. One of my earliest memories of Dad was his building of the swing set that sat in our yard for twenty years or more--he made it very solid, heavy pipes driven three feet into the ground for the frame. As a small child, I couldn't understand why it took so long and was impatient to use the slide, so in the mornings before work, we would go out to the garage and Dad would hold the slide up and Mom would set me on top to slide down. This was so exhilarating that I kept asking for more! When my brothers and i were young, we took turns going out with Dad to fish early in the morning when we were on vacation. Because I couldn't bear to catch a fish and have it die, but still wanted to go with him, Dad put a practice plug on my line, and I would cast that plug over and over. We took many vacations with the five of us sharing a camping trailer, often joined by the family dog, and fortunately the size of those trailers kept getting bigger. Dad and Mom took many trips together, just the two of them, including a trip to the southwest that was the best vacation they ever took, in Mom's book. They were adventurous and continued to travel outgrew the trailer, taking a cruise to Alaska and exploring Florida during the winters. One of my first glimpses of Dad as a person who was not just my father came when I worked, not very successfully, as a waitress at Your Host restaurant during the summer before I went to college. One of the other waitresses knew Dad when he was in high school, and told me that the girls called him "Smooth Wally," due to his good looks and charming ways, attributes that he never lost. He paid attention to his appearance, and owned so many shirts that they filled a separate closet and then some. I will always remember how he would shave and comb his hair so that he would look nice for a visit from my mother during his many hospitalizations. As he grew older, he told great stories about his youth. When Dad told me about his service in the Coast Guard, he said that he and a buddy tried to enlist in the Navy but he was rejected due to his childhood history of rheumatic fever. Undeterred, he went to the Coast Guard and was accepted. When I asked how they reacted to his medical history, his response was, "I didn't tell them." Unfortunately, the illness recurred and he was sent home, but our family still admires the picture of him in uniform, which Mom now has by her in her room. Over the years, Dad helped me with many projects. Once he and Mom were visiting and I was having problems with the tank on the water pump in my house. When he heard how much the plumber wanted to replace it, he said, "We can do that for less than half the price," and so we did. He spent part of another visit with his head under my sink, replacing the garbage disposal, and making the shelves in Max's toy closet more sturdy. After he took up carving, he loved nothing more than to carve a bird or an animal that a family member or friend would like. While his work was exquisitely detailed and beautiful he said that couldn't carve to sell, only to give pleasure to people he knew. When his grandson, Max, was seven, he spent one visit to Tonawanda in the basement with Dad, carving and painting a "watch dog," a sheep dog with a watch face in the side that he was very proud of. I have many birds and animals that he made for me, and people seeing them always wonder at the amazing quality of his work. Dad survived an amazing number of illnesses and injuries, including the fractured skull at age 5 that left a lifelong scar on the top of his head that doctors often marveled at. We began to think he was indestructible, and he was, for ninety years. Buoyed up by the support of his family, he was unflaggingly interested in the medical advice he received and his positive attitude brought him through one health problem after another. In July 2012, I was visiting Mom in rehab as she recovered from a fall. I had a call one morning saying that Dad was in the emergency room with a bloody nose and wanted me to meet him there. The bleeding had stopped by the time I arrived, so we settled in to wait. Dad stopped a nurse and asked for "one of those nice warm blankets you have," and she brought him one. Then he stopped another nurse and said, "I'm kind of hungry, could I get something to eat? You have a pretty good egg salad sandwich here," as I sat by, astonished. His sandwich finished, another warm blanket delivered, he curled up on the gurney and took a two hour nap! It was always clear to us that our Mom was the love of Dad's life. Their relationship, and their steadfast love and support for each of us, was all we could possibly have asked for in our parents. In the short time since Dad's passing, there have already been many moments when I've thought, "I'll have to tell Dad about that." And so he will always be in each of us."