Zagorski, Walter T.

It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Walter Theodore Zagorski on Sunday, January 10, 2020. He was 81 years old.

Walter was born to Lottie (Kubisch) and Walter Zagorski on August 3, 1939 in New York, NY. Growing up, he lived with his mother, grandmother, and younger sister, Rosemary, in an apartment on East 78th Street. In 1957 he suffered the loss of his mother to cancer. In 1958 he was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church on 88th Street.

In 1961 Walter married Patricia McGuire. They moved to an apartment in the Bronx and had three children. They separated in 1972, but they remained friends. Walter was integrally involved in the lives of his children, who fondly recall their adventures with him. These included amusement parks and rollercoasters, trolley museums and train yards, and drive-in movies. He always had his trusty camera along to record these cherished memories. He was a doting grandpa to his grandkids, who loved him because he was so willing to get down on the floor and help them with any cool toy requiring assembly (often something he got for them). He always found a way to be present and live in the moment.

Walter was always fixing things.  He was a building superintendent while studying electronics at Samuel Gompers High School in the Bronx. He was an adding machine / computer service technician for Olivetti Underwood in the 1960s and 1970s. In the early 1980s he took a position with the  Metropolitan Transportation Authority and began fixing subway trains. He worked for “the Transit” for 25 years, retiring as a supervisor. Whatever Walter bought, he learned how to fix, and he loved helping his children and others fix their cars and houses.

In the late 1970s Walter met the love of his life, Lorraine Carlson, through the adult fellowship group at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in the Bronx. They married in 1988 and lived in the Bronx until 1995, when they moved to Lake Wallkill, in Sussex, NJ. Together they made family and friends their priorities. In addition to their many activities in the Lake Wallkill community, Walter became a member of the Masonic Lodge in Vernon.

In 2016 Walter and Lorraine moved from Sussex to Rochester, NY and a lovely home in a retirement setting. Two years ago they moved together to assisted living due to declining health. They were quite a pair, with Walter getting them from place to place, and Lorraine charming everyone and getting them to open up and talk.

Walter was preceded in death by Lorraine (2020) and his mother, Lottie (1957). He was ever the helper to these women, and we take comfort in the knowledge that he’s reunited in Heaven with both of them.

Walter is survived by his children: Walter Jr, Glen and his wife Jane, Janice and her husband Kenny. He is also survived by his loving grandchildren, W. Adam, Matthew (Jade), Leah (Mike), Justin (Elizabeth), Zachary, Catherine (Shane), Kenneth III, Joshua, Morgan, Hannah,  and his great grandchildren, Nathan, Leah Ansley, Caleb, Clarissa , Ava, Andrew, Alice , Johnathan, Nathan, Tyler, Jackson, and Logan.  

A Remembrance Service will be offered at a future date.  Condolences may be sent to Glen Zagorski, 26 Woodline Drive, Penfield, NY 14526 or glen.zagorski@gmail.com. We ask that in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to your favorite charity.