Obituary of Walter R. Cole

Home: Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA Place of Birth: Branch Frost Valley, New York USA Obituary Walter Robert Cole Fort Lauderdale, Florida formerly of Claryville, NY Walter Robert Cole, 91, of Fort Lauderdale, FL, passed away on Monday June 1, 2015 at the residence of his daughter in Fort Lauderdale, FL. He was the son of Harry B. Cole and Pearl Alice VanValkenberg Cole and was born on May 9, 1924 in Brooklyn, NY. He was raised in Branch Frost Valley, NY in the Catskills along with his four brothers, Percy, Harold, Warren and Gerald Cole. He was predeceased by his parents and his four brothers. He attended Liberty High School and served his country in the US Navy on the USS Seid in the Pacific during WW II. He married Delores Ayers on a short leave during WW II in May 1944. Walter started his 35 years with the NY Telephone Co. and later transferred to Fort Lauderdale Southern Bell where he retired in 1981. He was a lifetime member of the AT&T Pioneers. When he retired, he spent most of his spare time helping the handicapped and the elderly. He was one of the founders of The Insight to the Blind in Fort Lauderdale. He was initiated, Passed and Raised a Master Mason in Mongaup Masonic Lodge # 816 in Liberty NY. When he moved to Florida, he transferred to Grand Masonic Doric Lodge # 140 of Fort Lauderdale where he became a 62-year member. He also was a member of the Scottish Rite of Free Masonry of Lake Worth, FL; Mahi Temple of Miami, FL and the Moose Lodge of Lakeland, FL. He is survived by his daughter, Bette Alice Cole and her mother, Delores Ayers; Bette's husband, James Estep II; three grandchildren, James III and wife Jennifer Estep, Joy Estep and Clint Estep; three great-grandchildren, Matthew, Michael and Cole Estep, all of Fort Lauderdale, FL. He is also survived by members of the Cole, VanValkenberg, Ayers and Briggs families of Ulster County Area. Military Services and burial of Walter's cremains will take place on Sunday September 20, 2015 at 1 PM at Claryville Cemetery in Claryville, NY.