Walter "Walt" Heinrich Reiss, Jr.

Walter Heinrich Reiss, Jr., a loving father and devoted husband, passed away on August 30, 2025 at his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the age of eighty-eight.

 

Walter was born on January 9, 1937 in Kansas City, Missouri to Walter Heinrich Reiss, Sr. and Velma McIntyre Reiss.  He had one brother, Randall Dean Reiss, who was nine years younger.  Growing up, Walter was an accomplished athlete and outdoorsman.  He would tell stories of his camping and fishing trips in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota with his high school friends.  He loved playing golf with his father and friends, and he played football, basketball, baseball and golf.  He graduated from Kansas City Central High School in 1955.  Walter played football for the University of Missouri, but suffered an injury in 1956 and pursued work with Owens Illinois instead. 

 

On December 23, 1961 Walter married the love of his life, Carol Sue Oberzan, in Raytown, Missouri.  They soon moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to allow Walter to finish his college degree in business from the University of Cincinnati.  A job opportunity at the DuPont nylon manufacturing plant took Walter and Carol to Seaford, Delaware in the mid 1960s where they spent the next thirty years.  They raised their two children, Walter H. Reiss, III and Heidi Reiss, in Delaware.  Walter and Carol enjoyed dancing, skiing, camping and hiking, traveling, golf, and provided amazing experiences and adventures for their children.   The lifelong friendships Walter and Carol built in Delaware and the Eastern Shore gave them joy throughout their lives - raising families, enjoying golf, and traveling in retirement.

 

Walter was an involved and supportive father to Walt and Heidi.  He never missed a game or school event, and he encouraged them both to pursue their goals in life.  Walter spent several years as a Boy Scout Scoutmaster for Walt’s Troop 182 in Seaford.  Walter was also a loving and caring husband, especially in the later years of Carol’s life throughout her health challenges.  They shared almost 58 years together in marriage, until Carol’s passing in 2019.  In recent years, Walter enjoyed attending Air Force Academy sporting events with Walt and visits with his children and grandchildren, including the celebration of his granddaughter Michelle’s wedding in July 2025.

 

Walter is preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Velma Reiss, his brother Randy Reiss, and his wife, Carol Reiss.  He is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Walter and Kathleen Reiss; his daughter and son-in-law, Heidi and Tyler Schleicher; and grandchildren, Michelle (Reiss) and Matthew Kolb, Theo McGrath, and Sophia and James Schleicher.  The family will have a private celebration of life in December, and is requesting that donations be made to Scouting America (https://donations.scouting.org/#/national) in lieu of flowers.