Walter Duma

Walter Duma was born on May 28, 1949 in Jersey City, NJ, the only child of Walter, Sr. and Blanche Duma. He died on August 23, 2014 at his home in Cocoa Beach, FL surrounded by loved ones. Walt was born and raised in Jersey City, NJ, and was a true Jersey guy in the best sense of the word. Standing at 6'4"" tall, he lived large in every way. He left Jersey City for the first time in 1966 when he joined the Marine Corps at the age of 17 in order to fight for his country in Vietnam. He survived 2 tours of service in Vietnam returning to the US in 1969 to finish his education. He studied at St. Joseph's College in Jensen Beach, FL, where he met his partner and wife of 45 years, Janette Gears. He completed his undergraduate work in Philosophy at Fordham University. He then went on to do graduate work in Psychology at the New School in Manhattan Shortly thereafter, Walt was introduced to iron work by his step-father and never looked back. Walt's career, perched on steel beams high above the streets of Manhattan, spanned 30 plus years. He served as a union representative and was widely respected by his co-workers. He was a part of building the modern Manhattan skyline and was also present at the former Twin Towers in the aftermath of the 9-11 tragedy. His career came to an end in 2002, when he lost part of a leg in a job site accident. Notably, he took a sabbatical from iron work in 1992 when he became a stay-at-home dad for his daughter, Alexandra, in her first year.. He called her ""Turtle"" and she is his pride and joy. He built a life around the love for his wife, daughter and extended family. Walt and his family made the transition to Cocoa Beach in the mid 2000s to better care for his aging in-laws, Harold and Elizabeth Gears. Walt lived big and enjoyed life. He was generous by nature. He was always the first to pick up the tab and tipped lavishly. Walt gave to anyone who presented themselves in need. He believed in eating and drinking well and sharing that with his friends and family. Walt's meals were legendary and will be greatly missed. He had a love of art, music, film and literature. He read prolifically about philosophy, religion, spirituality, history and many other subjects. Walt bought, read and gave away enough books to fill a library. He embraced meditation and had a house filled with buddhas, gargoyles and sayings which reflected his unfiltered, no-bullshit approach to life and connection to the divine. Among those sayings were, ""Rehab is for Quitters"", ""In Vino Veritas"", ""Live Much, Love Well, Laugh Often"" and most importantly, ""Bidden or Unbidden, God is Present"". Walt, too, was a huge presence in the life of those who loved him. He did live as much as a man can in the life that he was given. We all laughed and loved along with him. Walt leaves behind his wife, Jan, his daughter Alex and her partner Michaela, his dogs Beau and Jazz, two sister-in-laws, a nephew and his family, his and his wife's extended family of aunts and many cousins, and many valued ""brothers"" in the iron work trade. The family will celebrate Walt's life in a small, private gathering at home.