Gary Norris Wall, 83, of West Richland, WA, passed away on April 22, 2023 with his loving wife Valerie by his side. Gary, or better known as “Pete” by his friends, passed after a short battle with prostate cancer.

Pete is survived by his loving wife, Valerie and their dog, Sugar. Children: Peter Wall of Gilbert, AZ, Cindy (Cary) Allred of Blackfoot, ID, and Jenny (Jason) Kress of American Falls, ID; stepchildren: Tana Farrell of Concord, NC, Dani (Heath) Stuart of Shawnee, KS and Mandi (Pete) Ozuna of West Richland, WA; grandchildren: Patricia Carrillo (Ted Balderrama), Kristine (Nathaniel) Dodds, Peter Michael Robert Wall (Tiffany Todd), Kimmy (Alex) Paffenbarger, Kalvin (Cheyenne) Wall, Haylee (Theresa Whorley) Allred, Morgan (Tim) Murdock, Jared (Steffanie) Kress, Jordan Kress, Katherine Farrell, Kyle Spargur, Michael Brendt, Austin Roettger (Tiffany Ritter), Andrew (Nicole) Cartwright, Baylei Ozuna, Makenna Ozuna, Brooklyn Ozuna and Kamryn Ozuna; several great grandchildren; his brother: Tom Torrance and a host of loving friends.

Pete is preceded in death by Juanita Torrance (mother), Norris Arnold “Jim” Wall (father), William W. Torrance (stepfather), Kimichia Ann Tarrant (sister), Mary Newell (maternal grandmother), Chester Newell (maternal grandfather), John Nelson Wall (paternal grandfather) and Lillie Wall (paternal grandmother).

Pete was born on May 7, 1939 to Juanita and Jim Wall in Independence, Kansas. After graduating from Independence Senior High in 1957, Pete joined the US Army and went on to study at Pittsburg State University where he received his Bachelor’s degree in 1962.

Pete was an exceptional athlete and an outstanding running back while playing football in high school, the US Army and college. When he played football in the US Army, he sustained a significant back injury. Pete’s back injury required an extensive amount of rehabilitation and soon after, he was discharged because his contract with the US Army had ended. He transitioned back into the civilian world where he completed college. After college, he was first employed with Boeing Aircraft Corporation as an Engineer in Philadelphia, PA and later in Everett, WA. After eight years, he left the aircraft manufacturer and moved to Burley, ID to work as an Industrial Engineer for Ore-Ida Foods. Soon after, Pete had also become a successful business owner. In fact, Pete owned a couple of businesses throughout his life. These businesses included owning and managing Wall Lumber Company in American Falls, ID, and he was the owner, manager and head bartender of Stardust Cocktail Lounge also in American Falls, Idaho.

In the year 1958, Pete and Jeanie Porter got married. The couple had a son, Peter, and two daughters, Cindy and Jenny. The marriage came to an end in 1981, however the pair remained amicable and worked together to support their children.

Pete and Marlene Bristow were married in 1984 and their marriage ended in 1993. He lovingly filled the role of stepfather to Tawni, Terra, and Leanne.

Pete met the love of his life, Valerie Williams, at the end of 1993 and they married the following year. Their characters were a perfect match for one another. They made their home in West Richland with their beloved, and highly pampered, dog, Sugar.

Pete enjoyed golf and was a much better than the average golfer. He could be found in weekend and weekday foursomes. He enjoyed the game and the social interaction which followed. He continued to golf well after retirement until his health finally forced him to hang up his clubs. Additionally, Pete was an avid hunter, fisherman and outdoorsman. Pete loved to go camping and enjoyed spending time in nature.

Pete was an outgoing, friendly and gregarious guy. Everyone he met became an instant friend. Pete’s ready smile, clap on the back and his unmistakable and unforgettable laugh put everyone he met at ease. Pete’s friendliness and social skills were key to his handling and interacting with contentious situations in the lounge. His ability to bring emotional situations back to earth kept good enjoyable times on track. These skills were key to his next career move.

During Pete’s time in American Falls, his people skills and executive capabilities became obvious to some of the management of the American Falls, Lamb Weston Inc. potato processing facility. Pete was encouraged to consider a career with Lamb Weston in the Human Resources department. Pete eventually chose that career path and after training as a Production Supervisor, he was offered and accepted a position with the Lamb Weston Corporate Human Resources Department.

Eventually Pete was named HR Manager at the Lamb Weston processing plant in Richland, Washington. He finished his career at the Richland plant when he retired in 2004. Almost everyone who had the opportunity to work with Pete recognized his fairness and felt they could go to him with any problem and expect a fair, understanding response.

Those who worked, golfed, fished, hunted and interacted socially with Pete will always miss his company. Pete will be most missed by his family—his wife, children, stepchildren and all of the grand and great grandchildren he loved so much. His family was the source of his greatest pride and unwavering love.

There will be an informal Celebration of Life held on May 19th, 2023, at 1:30pm at the West Richland Golf Course (4000 Fallon Drive, West Richland WA, 99353). Arrangements are being handled by the family.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be given to the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund (curealz.org) or to the Prostate Cancer Foundation (pcf.org)

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