Walter Erwin Kalberer

WALTER ERWIN KALBERER, born on June 15th, 1930 in Cleveland, Ohio, joined his wife Jean, and returned to God on March 25, 2024, from his home of 50 years in Gates Mills, Ohio. For almost 70 years, Walter had been the steadfast and doting husband of Jean. Walter, the loving father of Gwenn (John Winkhaus), Lori, Christa (Jeffrey Goodell) and Lisa (Samuel Landau); adored grandfather of Lea Wildermuth, Megan Winkhaus, Jean, Evan, Joseph, Charlton, Delaney and Keegan Goodell, and Madeleine, Lucy, Nathaniel, Charlotte and Walter Landau; and supportive uncle, brother-in-law, cousin and friend to many, is survived by all. He was preceded in death by his dear sister, Else Miller; dedicated brother, Norman Kalberer; and loving parents, Frieda and Albert Kalberer. Walter had been involved in the hydrogen bomb testing on the island of Enewetak in the early 50s. He was president of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at what is now Case Western Reserve University and received his bachelor’s degree from there in 1955. He served 18 months in Germany with the US Army and completed the Smaller Company Management Program (SCMP) of Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration in 1981. Walter founded both KayDee Manufacturing and WEK Industries after working for Packard Electric, and bought what became WEK Plastics in 1975, growing it from bankruptcy to a multimillion-dollar company before retiring in 2000. Walter and Jean have been known for their philanthropy, particularly their development support within the greater Cleveland area. Walter believed his retirement years were to benefit society however he was needed, and he owned that mission until death. Walter has been a dynamic leader on numerous nonprofit boards. He and Jean established the Walter & Jean Kalberer Foundation when he retired, which annually grants funding to arts, cultural and educational institutions across Cleveland. Throughout the years, Walter and Jean have challenged donors to give more through generous and broad initiatives from their foundation to institutions such as the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Botanical Gardens, Great Lakes Science Center, Holden Arboretum, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Cleveland Orchestra, Cleveland Playhouse and Ideastream. They were awarded the Cleveland Philanthropists of the Year in 2006. Outside of business development in Cleveland, Walter loved the peace and tranquility of Sanibel Island, gardening, investing, and traveling with Jean around the world, including their annual pilgrimage to Germany to reunion with beloved relatives across that country. The family would like to thank Walter’s wonderful caregivers as well as the staff at Cleveland Clinic Hospice, for their attentive at-home care. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to: The Walter Kalberer Memorial Fund at Church of the Western Reserve, 30500 Fairmount Boulevard, Pepper Pike, OH 44124 or Cleveland Botanical Gardens in memory of Walter Kalberer, 11030 East Blvd., Cleveland, OH 44106. A funeral service for friends and family will be held at Church of the Western Reserve on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Interment to follow at Gates Mills Cemetery South. The family will receive friends at the SCHULTE & MAHON-MURPHY FUNERAL HOME, 5252 MAYFIELD RD., LYNDHURST (BETWEEN RICHMOND AND BRAINARD) FRIDAY APRIL 19, FROM 4-7 P.M. Please sign the funeral home Tribute Wall at: schultemahonmurphy.com