It is with great sadness that the family announces the peaceful passing of Walter after a courageous and hard fought battle with Multiple Myeloma on April 27, 2023 at the age of 70. Walter was the loving husband of Andrea; devoted father of Kate (Tom), Alexandra, and Chris (Angela); and very proud Opa of Sydney and Thomas. He will also be dearly missed by his sister Cathy, brothers Ed (Cheryl) and Eric as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins.
Walter was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, the second son of Jacob and Susanne Ruediger. He spent most of his youth in Niagara, after the family moved to a small fruit farm in Virgil. He left home at 17 to study Computer Math at the University of Waterloo in their Coop Program. On completion of his degree he spent the next year backpacking around the world and he left a diary which tells some amazing tales.
When he returned from his travels, he briefly worked in IT for the federal government in Ottawa before accepting a job in Sydney, Australia. This was the beginning of his next adventure and his initial two-year contract ultimately lasted over twenty years! Walt loved Aussie living with its casual outdoor lifestyle and its abundance of beautiful beaches. It was there that he also met his wife Andrea, had three beautiful children and life was indeed very good.
After his father passed away Walt decided it was the perfect opportunity for another adventure and moved his family back to Ontario where he began working at the Toronto Stock Exchange. As the children grew, life quickly revolved around their busy sporting schedules and Walt was happy being their number one fan on the sidelines or acting as an assistant coach for their teams.
Walt always loved the outdoors, whether it was fishing with his brothers on Manitoulin Island, playing golf at one of the local clubs, canoeing the northern lakes of Algonquin Park with his buddies or going on a hike through the local Conservation areas with Andrea. Gardening, whether it was planting dahlias or his tomatoes, or tending to his cherry and plum trees was a summer activity he looked forward to. He also loved road trips and was happy loading up the van and heading out to see where the next adventure would take him ... Nashville, Yellowstone National Park, the Grand Canyon, Florida; it didn't matter where to, he was happy to be on the move.
Becoming an Opa to his two precious grandchildren Sydney and Thomas was a special highlight in his life. The love and joy they brought him was immeasurable. Whether he was chasing them around the backyard, taking them to the park, reading them books, baking cupcakes with them, building Lego towers or racing matchbox cars down the hallway, he loved every minute he was with them.
After retiring from the Royal Bank, Walt was able to spend more time travelling back to Australia to reconnect with family and old friends and to continue having new adventures. His special road trip through the Outback to Ayers Rock (Uluru) was a unique experience he often spoke about. Walt also spent a few summers in Toronto working his 'dream job' job as an usher at the Blue Jays games. Being an avid Jays fan, that was easy and enjoyable work for him!
Walt loved life and was one hundred percent committed to everything he did. He was a true and loyal friend, had a fun sense of humour and was loved and respected by all who knew him. He fought through his health challenges with determination to the very end, never once complaining or giving up. Walt was a very special man who was taken from us too soon and who will be remembered with much love.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to Myeloma Canada to support their efforts and to help find a cure would be greatly appreciated by the family.
Cremation and Memorial Service have been entrusted to Glen Oaks Funeral Home, Oakville.
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