Walter "Walt" Edward Chapelle, 87, passed away on May 28, 2015 at Orchard Creek Supportive Care in Traverse City, Michigan.

Walt was born on May 4, 1928 in Detroit to the late Walter Edward and Martha (Brandt) Chapelle. He married Barbara Jean Alexander—a friend from his third-grade class in Alden, MI—on June 14, 1952 at the United Methodist Church in Alden. Together they raised four wonderful daughters: Susan, Carol, Martha and Bette.

Walt began his life on a farm near Alden, but his family moved to Detroit, where he graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1945 and then Magna Cum Laude from the University of Detroit with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1951. He earned a master's degree in electrical engineering at the University of Michigan.

Walt used his education in his honorable service to our country as an electrician in the United States Navy.

Walt worked as an electrical engineer for Bendix Corp. in Southfield, MI for thirty years before starting his own consulting firm, Optical Engineering. His ingenuity, dedication to work, and skills as a problem-solver were highly valued by Bendix and by his clients. An engineer in heart and mind, Walt was fascinated to figure out how things worked. He seemed to his family to be able to fix anything, build anything, and solve anything.

After living in Southfield for over 30 years, Barbara and Walt returned to their childhood homeland, "up north." In Traverse City, Walt was a member of Central United Methodist Church. In Traverse City, he was happy to be closer to the family's Torch Lake cottage near Alden, where he could continue to fix and build things. For the last two years, Walt was lovingly cared for by the staff at Orchard Creek.

Walt will be deeply missed by his family. Surviving Walt is his wife, Barbara, of 62 years; daughters, Susan (Charles) Judson of Traverse City' Carol (Jim McCormick) Chapelle of Ames, IA; Martha (Floyde) Flanders of Mounds View, MN; Bette (John) Evans of Berkley, MI; grandchildren, Alexandria (David) Walker, Bailey Judson, George Flanders, John Flanders; and one great granddaughter Reiley Chapelle Walker.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 11 at 11:00 a.m. at Central United Methodist Church. Memorial contributions may be directed to the Central United Methodist Church endowment fund. Please sign Walt's online guestbook at www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com .