Walter Beale

Walter Beale, 73, Retired from Retail Management, died Friday, August 3, 2018. Rosary will be at 7:00 pm, Monday, August 6, 2018; Funeral Mass will be at 10:00 am, Tuesday, August 7, 2018, both at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. Preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Alicia Beale. Survived by his wife, Patrice Beale (Brake); sons, James (Yelena) Beale of Kensington, MD, Steven Beale of New York, NY; sisters, Rosemary Knox of San Jose, CA, Alice Secorsky of Corpus Christi, TX; mother of his children, Barbara Beale of Gonzales, TX; grandchild, Max Beale of Kensington, MD. Memorials have been established with: Kansas Humane Society, 3313 N. Hillside, Wichita, KS, 67219; Wichita Childrens Home, 7271 E. 37th St. N., Wichita, KS, 67226 (www.wch.org). Downing & Lahey Mortuary - West Chapel. Beloved husband, dad, brother, uncle and friend. Walter was born December 10, 1944 in Corpus Christi, Texas to Walt and Alicia Beale. Walter was the middle child with an older sister, Rosemary Knox, and a younger sister, Alice Secorsky. Walter attended W.B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi, TX and attended college at Texas A&I (which later became Texas A & M Kingsville). Walt is the father of James Beale of Kensington, MD and Steven Beale of New York, NY. James is married to his wife, Yelena, and Walt was the proud grandfather of their son, Max. Walt married Patrice Brake on July 26, 1997 and had just celebrated his 21st anniversary with Patrice. Walt and Patrice enjoyed spending time with family and loved to travel. Walts love of animals was demonstrated by his sharing of pictures from his frequent trips to the Wichita Zoo, as well as by his care for their cats, Miss Kitty and Tic Tac, and their Cockatoos, Pinky and Rosie. Walt started his career with K-Mart. He spent 30 years with K-Mart managing stores in the United States, Singapore, and Puerto Rico. He ended his Kmart career as a Senior VP at their corporate headquarters in Troy, Michigan. Walt retired from K-Mart in 2001 and then moved to Ft Worth, Texas to manage Lowes stores. After 6 years in retail management with Lowes, Walt moved to Wichita, KS, the home of his wife, Patrice to be a District Manager with Alco/Duckwall. After 2 years with Alco, Walt retired from retail management. Walt did not really understand "retirement". After he retired from retail, he worked as a prison guard, a social worker, and a dog walker. Walt had a passionate heart to help those less fortunate. He and Patrice have been foster parents for 4 years and Walt was a continual advocate for the foster children in his care (and all those children in the foster system). He served on advocacy committees and spent countless hours in this service. Walt loved and cared for people of all agesboth family members and friends. He continually stayed in contact with friends and family through texting, social media and regular phone calls. He loved to tease people and continually entertained family with his wit. Walters niece, Shannon, described him as the "fun uncle" which was echoed by all. Walter is survived by his wife, Patrice Beale (Brake); sons, James (Yelena) Beale of Kensington, MD, Steven Beale of New York, NY; sisters, Alice Secorsky of Corpus Christi, TX and Rosemary Knox of San Jose, CA; mother of his children, Barbara Beale of Gonzales, TX; grandchild, Max Beale of Kensington, MD. Walter is also survived by extended family: Greg and Melody Brake (Ft Collins, CO), Joe Brake (Leon, KS), Doug and Michelle Louis (Wichita, KS), Dennis and Janelle Halstead (Wichita, KS), John and Mary Reed (Wichita, KS), Richard and Amy Chambers (Wichita, KS), Will and Julie Brake (Ft Collins, CO), David and Misty Brake (Wichita, KS), Jason and Erin Brake (Wichita, KS), Scott and Jennifer Smith (Wichita, KS), John and Nicole Kriegisch (Wichita, KS), and numerous nephews, nieces, cousins, uncles and aunts. Memorials have been established with Kansas Humane Society, 3313 N. Hillside, Wichita, KS 67219; Wichita Childrens Home, 7271 E. 37th St. N., Wichita, KS 67226.