Walter George Berghahn passed away peacefully after several weeks in lakes Region General Hospital on February 7, 2012.
Walter was born in Yonkers, New York, on August 14, 1929, to first generation immigrant parents from Germany. He excelled at every level of schooling finishing with a Masters in Engineering at Columbia University in New York City. He married his childhood sweetheart, Martha Buckley from Berlin, New Hampshire. They met as teenagers working summer jobs at the Ravine House in Randolph, New Hampshire. They had 55 wonderful years together starting at the Norfolk Virginia Naval Base, and then living in Schenectady, New York, Lynn and Lee, massachusetts, and settling in Scotch Plains, New Jersey for the majority of their time together. They started sharing their time between Tequesta, Florida and Laconia, New Hampshire in 2002.
Walter worked for General Electric in the 1950's and 60's, contributing to the Polaris Missile program as well as the early space program where he was involved in the production of the first space helmet prototype. In 1967, he moved on to Bristol Myers in New Jersey, where he attained numerous US patents for specialized packaging for pharmaceuticals, until his retirement in 1986.
He enjoyed talking about his time in the Navy and the awesome responsibility of piltoing a 10,000 ton troop ship with several thousand Marines onboard as a 22 year old Lieutenant JG. Whether guiding the ship to an anchorage in low visibility or weathering a hurricane in the confines of Chesapeake Bay, the experience made a lifelong impression on the young man from New York. No tasks seemed beyond reach after these beginnings.
Walter always had an ear to lend and advice to give. He saw few obstacles but many opportunities. He believed strongly in family, hard work and a God that was not to be found in books, but surrounds us every day in nature. "God", he often commented, "is a wonderful engineer".
Walter was predeceased by his wife Martha in 2006, and both his younger brothers, Teddy and Bobby.
He is survived by four grateful children, Leslie, Robin, Susan and Walter, their spouses, six grandchildren and one lively small cat named Kittyhawk.
A service will be held at the Gilford Community Church, 19 Potter Hill Rd., Gilford, at 1pm on Saturday, February 11th.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the American Cancer Society, 2 Commerce Dr., Suite 110, Bedford, NH, 03110, or the American Red Cross, 2 Maitland St., Cocnord, NH, 03301.