Walter Carlson of Westbrook entered the next phase of his life’s journey on May 28, after nine years of illness. He was a sweet, funny, often private man who was interested in everyone and everything. As the words to an old song go, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” and we were blessed to have found him. He led our family’s parade and was our knight in shining armor.

Walter was born Feb. 19, 1937, in Wilton, to Walter and Rose Mary Carlson. Along with his parents, he was predeceased by his sister Marilyn Mockler and stepson D. Matthew Sours. He is survived by Nancy, his loving wife of 47 years; his son Randall Carlson; his stepson W. Cameron Sours; four grandsons and a great-grandson.

Walter graduated from Norwalk High School and earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Connecticut. He was a first lieutenant in the United States Army and a company commander in the Connecticut National Guard. He worked for the Southern New England Telephone Company and AT&T for 38 years, retiring as a director of community affairs. Walter was a member of the New London Thames Club, the Middletown Rotary Club, and a director of the Middletown Foundation for the Arts. He was a member of the Westbrook and Middletown Chamber of Commerce. He served on the Middlesex County United Way Board of Directors and chaired the Westbrook Division Capital Campaign. He was a Founding Director of the Middlesex Revitalization Commission and Middlesex County Substance Abuse Action Council. He received a Distinguished Citizen Award from the City of Middletown in 2000. He was a member of the First Congregational Church of Westbrook and served on the board of Trustees. He was also a member of Westbrook’s Water Pollution Control Board, the Westbrook Historical Society, the Westbrook Boy Scout Troop Committee, Friends of the Westbrook Library, the Westbrook Land Conservation Trust, and the Westbrook Foundation. He served as Westbrook’s second selectman for a period of 12 years. Walter was honored by the Westbrook Republican Town Committee in 2010 at the Holbrook Awards Dinner. He served as the secretary for the Little Stannard Beach Association for 40 years.

He loved the beach, fishing, golf, sharing floral bouquets from his lovely gardens with the neighborhood ladies, and manning the Weber grill often with a burned chicken as the result of his efforts. He enjoyed skiing with the family at Pico Peak in Vermont, warm winters in Florida, and cruising. He was an avid reader and attended musical events at the Garde Theatre and the Harkness summer series, listening to classical offerings on the radio at the end of the day while savoring both the music and a glass of wine gave him great pleasure.

A celebration of life will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, at the Westbrook Congregational Church, 1166 Boston Post Road, Westbrook. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Westbrook Foundation, PO Box 528 Westbrook, CT 06498, or the Congregational Church of Westbrook. To share a memory of Walter, please visit Robinson, Wright & Weymer Funeral Home at rwwfh.com.