Walter Tibor Schonfeld passed away peacefully on February 20, 2008 at Pendleton Nursing home, Mystic, CT. He was predeceased by his beautiful & beloved wife Beth Valentine Schonfeld. They were married September, 1990 & shared her home in Onley, VA until her death last May, 2007. He was also predeceased by his sister, Helen Ehrenwald Hevener, in 1994. Walter was a short-time resident at Academy Point in Mystic, CT where he spent eight comfortable months. Most of his life was lived on the Eastern Shore of Virginia where he eventually settled after escaping the Nazis in Czechoslovakia in 1938.
Walter was born in 1917 in Vienna, Austria and grew up in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia. He attended law school at Charles University in Prague, but was forced to leave just short of graduating in 1938. As a refugee in London, he made a scant living as a farm laborer, waiter, and fire-watcher during air raids. In 1945, the US Ninth Air Force recruited him as an interpreter. Eventually he was hired as a research analyst and became a member of the US prosecution team gathering evidence for the impending war crimes trials held in Nuremberg. For four years, he reviewed testimony and interrogated a number of Nazi criminals. His experiences are documented in his book, Nazi Madness, (2000) which has had two printings. His wife Beth is responsible for bringing the manuscript to fruition and getting it published.
Walter came to the U.S. in the late 1940’s via Ellis Island and worked as a costume jewelry salesman while freelancing as a writer. Herman Wouk recruited him in 1965 to do research on his book, Winds of War. American History Illustrated published his article “Record of Horror” in 1985.
Walter was a classically trained pianist who had a deep love for music which he shared with friends and loved ones. Survivors include his stepdaughter, Carole Valentine who resides in Onley, VA; his devoted housekeeper for many years, Chestina V. Poulson; and his niece, Melanie Greenhouse, who lives in Noank, CT. Thanks to the staff at Academy Point for providing dignity and superior quality of life and for the compassionate care given by Pendleton Nursing Home.
A memorial service will be held in the spring at Makemie Presbyterian Church in Accomac, VA. Memorial gifts in his name may be sent to: Makemie Presbyterian Church, c/o Richard F. Hall, III, Treasurer, PO Box 680, Accomac, VA 23301.
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