John was born in Wichita, Kansas on July 19th, 1939 to Anna Borgmeier and Joseph Walz, both immigrants from Germany. He was one of 4 children, brother Ralph (deceased), sister Joan (deceased), and sister Elvira. John attended Saint Joseph’s primary and secondary schools and graduated from Kapaun High School. On August 17th, 1959, he married Rosetta Davis, his queen until his death. He began working for the Fox Meyer Drug Company in Wichita, Kansas in 1960 and was later promoted to a sales representative position in Liberal, Kansas. John and Rosetta moved there with their baby daughters, Stephena and Jennifer. A few years later, they were blessed with two more daughters, Barbara and Caryn. From 1978–1986, John grew in the executive ranks of Fox Meyer, which eventually took him and his wife, Rosetta to Dallas, Texas where he worked as a Corporate Executive Vice President and Group President in Distribution. He later moved with his wife to Knoxville, Tennessee to take a position as President and COO at Albers, Inc., a health care distribution company.
After retirement, John and Rosetta moved back to Texas and settled in McKinney. John pursued his education and professional training in community colleges and universities wherever he lived at the time. He believed firmly in the power of education and motivated his family and others with his tenacious work ethic. He and his wife Rosetta encouraged not only their children to attain advanced degrees but also their grandchildren and were generous with their support. John and Rosetta both traveled extensively and taught their children and grandchildren to be open to and respect people of other nationalities, religions, political beliefs, and cultures.
His 5 grandchildren, Paul, Emma, Joseph, Brooke, and Grant adored their Grandpa John. As he had with his daughters, he proudly attended concerts, exhibitions, a variety of performances and school functions, and of course, graduations. He celebrated every birthday, every holiday, and stayed connected to all in his family, including the spouses of his daughters, Greg, Jeff, Patty, and Stuart. He could always be counted on for good advice, for strength, for sound judgment, and corny humor.
John was a devout Catholic his entire life, a faithful husband, a caring son, a good father and grandfather, and a wonderful friend to many. He maintained a positive attitude in the most difficult situations and urged others to be optimistic and grateful for simply being alive to see another day, even when difficult health problems made getting around more difficult. John was generous and influenced many not through lectures but by example. He was genuinely a good man, with a good heart, and he helped many. John will be sorely missed, but his lessons will live on in his family and his friends.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, November 22, 2019 at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, 411 Paula Road, McKinney, Texas 75069.