Walter Anthony “Red” Verhalen
Born: August 2, 1912
Marriage: October 17, 1936
Death: June 21, 2003
Father: Jacob James Verhalen
Mother: Olive Ketterhagen
Children:
Donald Elden Verhalen (1937 – 1993)
Bruce Anthony Verhalen (1938 – 2008)
Dolores Jean Verhalen Zawalich Edwards (1941 – 2024)
Constance Mae Verhalen Zamber
Mark Thomas Verhalen
Douglas Dean “Duke” Verhalen (1959 – 2000)
About Walter
Walter was known as Red to all who knew him. This was due to his red hair and freckled complexion. His wife, Vivian, claims she did not even know his name was Walter until the marriage ceremony.
Red ran track in school, and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was a self-employed general contractor until he retired.
Walter grew up in the southeastern part of Wisconsin, just outside of the Milwaukee area. A construction job took him up to Wood County, Wisconsin, where he walked into a bar after a hard day and laid eyes on Vivian Voigt, the owner’s daughter. He was smitten and the rest is history.
While his mother did not want Red and Viv to get married — going so far as to fake a heart attack when they first broached the subject with her — they were determined to be together. Upon learning Viv was with child, his mother relented and they were married.
Red and Viv began their life together in St. Martins, near Franklin, Wisconsin. After having three children there, the owner of the house they were renting wanted his son (a soldier returning from the war) to have the house, so they bought land in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Upon moving to Waukesha, he set up two large tents for his family to live in while he built their two-story house. Two more children came along, making that house too small, so they purchased land in Dousman, Wisconsin, and built another, slightly larger, two-story house. By the time they moved there, the oldest three children were out of the house. Their sixth child was born within a year of moving to this house.
Red loved to work with his hands. Besides building and renovating houses, he also designed and built an outdoor kitchen from stone slabs at the Dousman house. This was the hub of many family gatherings through the years. When he finally retired, he and Viv moved to Florida. When their health became an issue, they relocated to Kansas to live with their daughter, Dolores, and her husband for their final years.
Viv was the love of Red’s life. Their only time spent apart was when one of them was in the hospital. He often referred to her as “his girl.” He was a quiet man (until he got angry, which wasn’t often), but his eyes sparkled when he was with his grandchildren.
Red is buried next to Viv at Saint Bruno Parish Cemetery in Dousman, Wisconsin, along with their youngest son, Duke.
