Darlene Hooley: “to Lois and her children, I offer my condolences. We all suffered a great loss last night. Walter was an absolute joy to…”

“to Lois and her children, I offer my condolences. We all suffered a great loss last night. Walter was an absolute joy to be around. He was a devoted public servant and he was a good friend. The first time I met Walter he talked about the car accident, in the middle of a campaign, and it was a serious car accident. I said, ``Well, what did you do and how did you carry on?'' He said, ``Well, I wrote a book.'' I said, ``You wrote a book in the middle of a campaign while you were recovering from this accident?'' He talked about that as the most normal thing in the world. I think to most of us, that was rather surprising. One of the things we will miss about Walter is the thoughtful way he approached legislation and legislative problems. We will miss his absolute unwavering commitment to the people in this country. We will miss his pleasant smile, his easygoing nature, his calmness, and, most of all, his great sense of humor. Even though he was here only a short time, his spirit, his energy, and his commitment made a difference to all of us and to all of our lives. Walter, we will miss you.”