Walter "Walt" Paliwoda

Walter “Walt” Paliwoda August 31, 1924 – June 3, 2021 Walt was the loving husband of Jo for 53 years and the loving father of Lynn (Dave) Oates and Gale Wieland. He was the dear grandfather (Poppy) of Lauren Oates, Brian Oates (Ava), Nicolas Wieland, Evan Wieland and the late Marissa Oates Ziegler (Brian). Walt was born in Cleveland, Ohio, to working class Ukrainian parents. He was raised Catholic and became an alter boy. Walt told us there were many different nationalities in his neighborhood and everyone got along. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Walt served from March, 1943 – March, 1946, during WWII aboard the U.S.S. Boyle, a destroyer in both the European and Pacific theaters. Walt loved to dance. In addition to loving to polka, Walt also danced a traditional Ukrainian dance with Danny Kaye. He met his wife, Jo, at a dance, however, when he asked for her phone number, she didn’t give him the right one. The next week both of them were at the dance, again, and this time she relented. The rest, as they say, is history. Walt and Jo were married on October 8, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio. Walt had various jobs and worked as a janitor and also at a steel mill. He then went to school for a 2 year degree and became a salesman for Sanborn Company. Walt then began a long career with Hewlett-Packard where he was a top salesman for medical equipment. They lived in Ohio, until 1965 when he received a job promotion and moved to Michigan. Walt worked for HP, and, in later years, was known as the “silver fox” because of his white hair. He retired in 1989 after 33 years of service. In 1990, he founded Pal Medical Instruments, Inc., a manufacturers rep for HP. Walt loved Longboat Key, FL, and would meet up with family and his many friends every March. Walt was an avid reader. He liked baseball but his favorite sport was football. He said his secret to longevity was a martini every day at 5:00. Walt loved people and people loved him. He was an extremely generous and kind man and he had a great sense of humor. He would donate dozens and dozens of turkeys to St. James Catholic Church for years. People would always tell his daughters what a nice, kind man he was. Even during his last days, the nurses all said the same thing. Walt’s motto was: “Always laugh, listen to music and have faith.” His faith was number one to him and he thanked God everyday for his blessings. He deeply loved his family, as well. We will miss him so much, but he left us with a great legacy and many wonderful memories. We will continue to make him proud! Visitation will be held at O’Brien-Sullivan Funeral Home in Novi, MI, on Thursday, June 10, from 4 to 8PM with a rosary at 7PM. The funeral mass will be held at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church in Northville, MI, on Friday, June 11 at 11AM. Walt will be laid to rest at Glen Eden Lutheran Memorial Gardens in Livonia, MI. Donations can be made in Walt’s honor to (Capuchin Soup Kitchen)https://www.cskdetroit.org/online-donations in Detroit.

Walter "Walt" Paliwoda

August 31, 1924 - June 3, 2021