Walter Leonard Harper

Walter Leonard Harper 91, of Mansfield Center, beloved husband of Mary Arlene (Stafford) Harper for 67 years, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 18, 2019.   Walter was born in Bridgeport, CT in 1928.

Walter enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in 1945, at the end of WW II, when he turned 18. He served as a Weatherman in the Army Air Corps in support of the occupying forces, advancing to the rank to Corporal. Using the GI Bill, he attended the University of Connecticut where he found his second home. Mary and Walt moved to Ashford, CT and started their family while Walter progressed from student to professor.

Walter, a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Honor Society of Agriculture, was an Associate Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Connecticut for 34 years, retiring in 1988. He received his Bachelors of Science in 1954, and his Masters of Plant Science in 1957, both from the University of Connecticut. While in school, he worked part time managing the University’s Floriculture Greenhouses. As a professor, in addition to teaching classes in plant science and floriculture, Walter trained and coached student flower judging teams for inter-collegiate flower judging contests and planned and managed floriculture displays and the many gardens on the campus. As part of the Horticulture Club, he was student advisor and facilitated many beautiful displays at the very popular Horticulture Show each fall.

Walter was an amazing husband to Mary and father to his six children. He was ahead of his time, making lunches for his kids and doing the grocery shopping. He taught us all to drive and was always there when we needed him. Some of our favorite memories are the weekend hikes we took with him and beach days at Misquamicut State Beach in Rhode Island. On Saturdays he would take all six of us hiking in the woods, leaving  Mountain Road and heading up to Wolf Rock in Mansfield. He taught us to identify every tree and plant and humored us when we ran ahead and jumped out at him. We made many journeys to the beach, arriving at 9 AM in the Ford Station Wagon with a cooler packed with sandwiches and drinks. Two other very special memories are the evenings he would spend reading to us and playing his 78 speed Glenn Miller, Wagner and Beethoven records.

Walt was a loving family man fully devoted to caring for his family.  His nature was kind and his humor kept us all laughing. He had the best puns ever. He was soft-spoken, generous, smart and thoughtful. His intellect was strong until the end. He was a wonderful role model for his children and we all inherited a piece of him.

Walter was pre-deceased by his parents, Walter J. and Kathryn E. (Zepko) Harper and brother Charles W. Harper.

He is survived by sisters Elizabeth “Betty” Thompson and Kathryn “Kitty” Hoffmiller; daughters Beth Strathy (John), Marianne Metcalfe (Brigham), Kathryn Harper-Pitney (Robert), and Jamie Harper (Jacqui); sons Walter Harper (Theresa) and John Harper (Laura).  He is also survived by his 13 grandchildren Damian Larkins, Trevor Larkins (Alexandria), Sharon Harper, Laureen Harper, Lindsey Metcalfe, Heather Metcalfe, Veronica Harper, Gregory Rabus (Jennifer), Mathew Rabus, Patrick Rabus, Michael Kingston, Tessa Kingston and Rachel Smolskis, along with 5 great grandchildren, Hannah Rabus, Miles Rabus, Alexander Rabus, Ian Rabus and Makenna Larkins.

Arrangements are being handled by Potter Funeral Home in Willimantic. Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Gaylord Hospital, 50 Gaylord Farm Rd.  Wallingford, CT. 06492. To sign the on-line guestbook please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com

 Service Information