Walter Bieri

Walter Bieri was born in Grenchen, Switzerland on August 13, 1929, to Jacob and Paulina. He was the 4th of 6 children. He was preceded in death by his parents and siblings: Maria, Erna, and Rudy. His sisters Klari and Frieda still reside in Switzerland. His family ran the local butcher shop and expected him to follow suit.

He immigrated to America in 1952 and lived with his uncle and family in the oil fields of west Texas. He learned English from comic books, his cousins, and the Mexican field workers. He had planned on attending college in the mid-west but attended Pasadena Nazarene College in CA instead.  There he met the love of his life, Mary. They married in 1959. He received his US citizenship in 1960. He started teaching in the North Sacramento School district that same year.

Walter taught school in North Sacramento School District for 32 years. He was selected as the Teacher of the Year for Sacramento County in 1977 and was runner up for the state of CA Teacher of the Year.  He touched many lives over the years as a classroom teacher, special needs teacher, and resource teacher.

Walter loved his family. His wife, Mary, and daughters Susan and Linda, spent many happy years with him in Citrus Heights, CA. They had rabbits, chickens, ponies, sheep, and steers. His family grew as Linda married David Dunham in 1987 and Susan married Rob Tinker in 1990. It grew a bit more with the addition of granddaughters Gabrielle in 1994 and Jenica in 1996. He enjoyed watching them grow and teaching them to love life like he did.

Walter loved the Lord. The family attended Madison Ave Nazarene Church for many years. There he made lifelong friends, taught Sunday School, was on the church board, and helped out where needed. In 1985, he and Mary made a move to Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church (FOPC). They soon got involved with the Vikings (a married couples group) which became an integral part of their lives. He was also a Parish (a weekly bible study) leader, served on the deacon board, attended the Men’s Bible Study on Friday mornings, and was a much beloved usher at FOPC.

Walter loved to camp, hike, backpack, play tennis, watch soccer and football, and travel. He also loved to play games, tell jokes, and laugh. He was a blessing to all who knew him and will be greatly missed.

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