Wally's friday celebration of life was very touching for all. I have been asked by several people for a copy of the eulogy I gave during the celebration of life, so here it is. . . I'm glad I made it through the speech before I could not talk anymore. For those of you who I have never met, I am Will Stephens – one of the other founding members of Team Tigger, and a friend of Wally and his parents for many years. While I do not know many of you, we all share the common bond of being part of Wally's life, no part of which was small or insignificant. In fact, Wally never really did anything small – he always chose to go large instead. Waldo was really bigger than life and he had a heart to match. He was a devoted son, loyal friend, and never shied away from the chance to help people in need. In fact, his love for people was greater than any person I have ever met. Wally's life, passion, and compassion have impacted the lives of literally thousands of people from around the world. He helped people in countless ways - many that a lot of people will remember, and some that only a precious few will ever know. He saved lives as a firefighter, E.M.T., Paramedic, and Flight medic. As a volunteer for Remote Air Medial, he jumped into remote areas and provided needed health and dental services in Tennessee and built a runway in Guyana. He paddled a Kayak in the floodwaters of Katrina looking for survivors and helped those in need in New Orleans. His compassion for others was one of his most admirable qualities. Over the past week I have seen an amazing outpouring of support from both those who knew him well, as well as those whose lives he touched for just a brief moment – All of which he was more than happy to keep in touch with, drive out to visit, provide a comforting person to talk to, give suggestions for book readings, or drag out to a party when they needed it. Frankly, it is beyond my comprehension how Wally found the time to do everything he did. Wally was the kind of person who knew no strangers, and in fact, went out of his way to meet people, get to know them, and help them. I'm sure that is no surprise to many of you here today that you do not know many of the other people here. This is mainly because Wally was such an eclectic person. I personally never comprehended the extent to which Wally went to live life to the fullest, and probably never will. But in the past week, I have learned that he was learning to Box so that he could volunteer at a center to keep kids out of trouble, he volunteered at the Richmond Opera to get to better understand the classical and performance scene. And, I finally learned the reason he loved to listen to Frank Sinatra - In his words, he listened to Sinatra to learn how to avoid repeating the follies of man. He even spent a lot of time reading everything from Hawthorne to how to be a best man in order to get closer to the truth of man and better himself by applying what he learned. Wally’s great sense of adventure, outgoing personality, sense of honesty, and passion for fun were the medium for numerous unbelievable adventures for Wally and his friends. I’m sure that many of you can either remember such a time with him, or an outrageous story about somebody else’s time with him. Many of the situations, trips and stoies he was in seemed to be so out of the ordinary that it is difficult to image that they were real, but let me assure you – they were. An Icon can be defined as one who is the object of great attention and devotion. Stories of Wally’s exploits and the passion with which people hold those memories of Wally certainly make him an Icon in my eyes. Many of the stories are based on Wally’s zeal for making a difference, even if Wally did have to stand up to THE MAN to make his ideals heard. I found a poem of Wally wrote that explains why he was never afraid to speak his mind – this one he called “defiance”: Defiance Unleash my soul and the flow is incessant, Through the darkness there seems to be a faint glow, I never really understood the need to quantify, that which is just simply wonderful, Human drive forces us to bottle and market, but what of singular desires, watch me defy the thoughts of society, which would have me turn from the light, I defy you world!, I defy your cold bitter overtones, and as I walk from the shade, and cast off the blinders, I intend to open my eyes, and watch my oppression dissolve, like raindrops on rocks, Wally’s Mom and Dad are both thankful that you are all part of and have been touched by Wally's life. I wish that I could express the honor I feel in knowing that he called me his best friend and that he was involved in my life. I find myself up here trying to find words to express the collective loss of such an impactful man. The truth of the matter is that I will miss Wally more than I can express with words. For the loss of friends, Wally wrote this poem, parts of which I would like to read called “a few of my least favorite things” Teardrops on jumpsuits, just wiped from my cheek, hugs from the masses, my soul feels so weak, phone calls while sobbing, the strong now so meek, this is what happens when jumpers go in, someone well loved, who's left much behind, we think of them fondly, perhaps they were kind, what does it matter, what sense does it make, this is what happens when jumpers go in, now the tears flow, hey did you know, our brother now, gone, please don't let memories fade in the wind As a friend of Wally’s, Steven Lawyer, said: “We are humbled by the thought of what you accomplished in so short of a life. If the measure of wealth is not in gold, or land, or power, but in love, and friendship, and respect, you left this world a wealthy man. Wally’s legacy will be the impact that he had on the people in his life. Please don’t let the memories of Waldo fade in the wind. Will
