Hello,
I am Walter Hedeman’s son. He passed away Friday morning in his sleep. I know that this blog meant a lot to him and he would want you to know. Thank you for being there for my Dad over the years.
Walter Hedeman jr.
TheZoo
Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.
TheZoo 
Is this on the level? Walt is really gone? Srsly?
I’m a bit embarrassed that no one has posted on this. I’m relatively new to the Zoo but I knew Walt was like the patriarch of the place. I’m truly sorry for your loss, Walt Jr.
Any further news I’m sure would be appreciated by all.
We had no idea, badmoodman.
I’ve been busy all day with family and I checked in to find the post about Walt but there was no time stamp so I assumed it had been up all day. It’s just so sad and sudden…
No. Hell, NO! Please accept my love and sadness! This is devastating.
I am so very sorry for your loss. Walt will be sorely missed. My thoughts are with you and your family at this very sad time.
Unfortunately, it is true. We (my brother and I) got the notification late Friday morning. It was my parents anniversary and we are all shocked. Again, I know that this blog meant a lot to Dad and I thank you all for giving him the respect and care he deserved. God bless.
Walt jr.
I don’t want to believe it. I was just thinking about walt today. I was solving a CSMonitor science quiz and kept thinking “walt would score 50 out of 50”. I am truly sorry for you and your family. Truly am.
I am so sorry for your loss. This is truly heartbreaking. Walt was an intelligent and caring person. I will miss him and his thoughtful insight. This is such sad news.
When things are settled, will you let us know what the family would like in terms of a donation to charity in his name?
Thank you so very much for letting us all know.
I’m sad beyond words.
I read the post several times before it struck me that Walt the Man has died? How sad. The world is a bit darker in result. Deepest sympathies to all the family. He was, truly and obviously, a fine, fine man.
Walt Jr., your dad meant a lot to this blog, too. He will be missed.
My condolences to you and your family.
Oh no! I’m so sorry, Walt Jr.
Walt has been an integral part of this blog since Day One, and we will miss him terribly. Please give our condolences to your family, he was a truly fine gentleman.
This was Walt’s last comment on TheZoo:
I am sitting here in shock. I am so very sorry. Walt was brilliant, and a kind and very generous person. He was incredibly thoughtful in sending gifts and cards to my granddaughter I will never forget that. Walt Jr., I am so terribly sorry for your loss. I hope you will give your mom my offer of condolences. I’m sure she is reeling. You are all in my thoughts. I won’t ever forget Walt.
Thank you Walt for your time spent here with us. Aw fuck, Go Jolly, and in Peace Walt.
Thank you!-Helyna aka Walt’s Grand daughter
He was so very proud of you, Helyna.
Yes he sure was.
Helyna, I believe you are the artist of Walt the Man’s perennial penguin avatar. This has become such an icon of the Zoo that I cannot without tears tell you how much it and he means to us. Thank you.
That is sad news.
I worried about Walt when the Saturday post wasn’t up after midnight. I am so sorry to hear about this. Walt was a lot of the wisdom on this site. I will truly miss his presence.
I’m shocked at this news.
When we discovered we both lived in St. Augustine Walt and I met for breakfast one Saturday. Walt had said he was tall and just as I arrived at the restaurant I saw a tall man entering the restaurant. I entered a moment later and walked up to this man towering above me and inquired, “Walt the man”?
He looked down with a smile and extended his hand. I embraced his hand and stated, “I’m pachydiplax longpennis”!
The Zoo is not the only connection Walt and I had; we both lived in Baltimore as boys. Walt was older than me, I don’t remember by how many years, but I’ll be 68 in August. He did say he was the oldest critter in the Zoo
We spent a couple of hours talking while at the restaurant and kept the staff there an hour past their normal closing time. The cook, waitress and owner sat in a booth listening to us and were enjoying the conversation Walt and I were having just as much as Walt and me.
Walt also explained how he removed the “de” in his last name and added the “T” in front for his name here.
I really enjoyed that brief encounter with the real man. He had a great attitude. I will miss him.
Walt posted a picture of us at the restaurant that he had the waitress take. Can anyone find it?
I’ll try to find it, Pachy.
Crap. I found it, but it’s password protected. Absolutely no idea what the password was!
What was the date? I probably have the e-mail.
I sent you the password as a reply Zooey. It was November 14, 2010.
I found it, House, but my ill-behaving system won’t let me in.
Try “DragonFly.”
We would enjoy seeing the picture. It is comforting to see how much he meant to all of you. My mother, who doesn’t even know how to turn on a computer, wants me to print all of these comments.Thank you for your thoughts, my Dad would be proud that he had so much influence on this board. We spoke often and he frequently mentioned how much he enjoyed “The Zoo”. Keep blogging, he would be disappointed if The Zoo didn’t last forever. Thank you all for giving Dad something to enjoy.
Walt Jr.
Walt Jr.
You, and your family, are welcome here anytime.
While I know Walt’s family and the bloggers here at The Zoo (no more science lessons!), it sounds as though he went peacefully and I know he had a long full life and had the blessings of his family around him to the end.
The best to his family. I am particularly grateful that he’d shared The Zoo with them and that his son knew how to reach us. Walt was a smart man and a good guy, and he leaves a big empty seat at our table.
I am sorry to hear this. I enjoyed Walt’s Saturday posts and appreciated his concerns for my own parents’s health care issues in FL. He will be sadly missed. My condolences to you and your family, Walt Jr.
My sincerest condolences to Walt’s family. He will be so very missed.
Oh no, Walt is gone? Now there’s a person who knew his stuff…. I will be poorer everyday for not learning something from him that I would never learn elsewhere….
Sitting on my back deck, enjoying the sore legs that I earned with my pup on a long, long walk in the new Spring air today, just wandering wherve the mood took us. New life all around, but sometimes we are reminded that life is a cycle of renewal… And the new life around me looks different al of a sudden.
Sorry to see Walt go, his was a life well-lived from what I knew of him….can any of us ask for anything more from those who know us?
To his family, I’m sorry that he has gone I hope you take comfort from all the friends who remember him at this time.
To Walt, Jr., and Family, you have my (and Jane’s, too, of course, after I inform her) deepest, deepest condolences on your loss. I always enjoyed Walt’s posts and his gift for teaching us new things (and old ones, too.) The Zoo has lost an important part of itself,
As I learned recently, you should cherish the time you have with the people you love. Any one of us could be gone in a second. Again, our most heartfelt sympathies to you and your Family.
I am devastated by this news. I’m sorry — I simply have no words
I don’t know if Walt was a drinking man but, since he was a man of taste and culture, I trust there was no offense in toasting his memory.
Very sad news. My condolences to Walt’s family.
Thank you Walt Jr. for your considerations and energies here. Walt the Man will be sorely missed.
Blessings and Balance, you da man now.
Raven
Sad and really sorry…our condolences to Walt’s family from ours…PJ
I got here late… what? Walt passed? OMG! I am so sad.
My Condolences to his family.
Walt,Jr., I am so sorry to hear of your loss, and I’d like to extend my sincere condolences to you and your family.. Walt was an integral part of our little family, too, and he will be sadly missed.
Walt you’ve moved onward to edge. Please allow me to say how very much I appreciated your wit and wisdom. Professor you are profoundly missed.
Thank you Walt Jr. for letting us know about your father. He was a wonderful person to know even remotely and we are all better for having him in our lives. He will be missed and remembered by all he touched.
A gentle man and a scholar. They say that when someone passes it is like a finger drawn from a pool of water. As in many cases, ‘they’ are mistaken. There will always be an empty chair at the Zoo where Walt once sat. You will be greatly missed and fondly remembered. May those you meet on the next part of your journey appreciate you as much as we all have here.
Thank you all for your kind words. I printed all of the responses for my mother and it made her happy to see how much he meant to all of you. We are holding a private ceremony and ask that all those that feel close him have a quiet moment thinking of him on Friday afternoon. If you would like to recognize him, you may send a charitable contribution to the American Heart Association.
Thank you,
Walter Hedeman Jr. (Walt the son)
Thank you for sharing our comments with your mother, Walt Jr. I know it’s a strange situation, but we all feel quite close to each other, and keenly feel Walt’s absence.
I’ll make sure the others know about Friday afternoon ceremony, and the American Heart Association.
Oh my, so sorry to hear of Walt The Man’s untimely demise. He will be sorely missed, certainly by his family; but also by those of us who knew him only via the web- but still respected him greatly and looked forward to his every word. Great condolences to the Hedeman family- please know that our thoughts are with you at this time.