Walter “Walt” William Switzer was born May 12, 1937, in Central City, Nebraska to Dorothy (Nott) and Clarence Switzer. He passed away Friday, June 19th, 2020, in Phoenix, Arizona, after a brief illness. Walt graduated from Grand Island Senior High School, where he played football, basketball, and ran track, He was a member of the Islanders' undefeated 1953 football team that was inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame. Walt graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1959 with a degree in journalism, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
Throughout his life, he loved watching all sports, especially Nebraska football and horse racing. He went to the Kentucky Derby, Indianapolis 500, Drake Relays, and too many Big Red games to count, including bowl games. He and Gerry, his wife of 49 years, traveled across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. and spent many evenings enjoying performances at the Lied Center.
Walt spent his entire 35+ year journalism career at The Lincoln Star and retired in 1995 as the night news editor. Former colleagues remembered his great laugh, but that he was all business when deadline approached. Some even described him as their own Lou Grant. In 2018 he moved to Arizona where his daughter resides.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Germaine “Gerry” Switzer, his sister, Lucigrace Switzer Koizumi, and his parents. He is survived by his daughter, Germaine “Gerrie” Marks (Tony), Paradise Valley, AZ.
No services are planned at this time in light of COVID-19. Memorial contributions may be made to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, NY, 10163, https://www.michaeljfox.org/donate or the University of Nebraska Foundation, P.O. Box 82555, Lincoln NE 68501-2555. Please make checks payable to the NU Foundation and include on the memo line or enclosed note that the gift is in memory of Walter Switzer or visit https://nufoundation.org/ways-to-give/ to make an online gift.
