Dr. John Lawrence Walters was born in Tacoma, Washington on May 2, 1929.He grew up on North Stevens Street and attended Stadium High School where he lettered in football, wrestling, and track & field. His summers during high school were spent working at the rugged fish canneries in Ketchikan and Cordova in Alaska. He attended the University of Washington and was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. After graduation from the UW in Zoology, he went on to become a graduate of the distinguished class of 1955 from the University of Washington School of Dentistry. John joined the Navy after graduating from dental school and was stationed at the Coronado Naval Base in San Diego, California. After serving his time and his country in the Navy, he settled on Capitol Hill back here in Seattle where he helped raise 9 children. He set up his dental clinic in the Wedgwood area of NE Seattle where he practiced for over 35 years. During the 1970’s, John volunteered up to a month each year offering free dental care at the Catholic missions out in the jungle in the state of Chiapas in Mexico and in the countries of Guatemala and Peru. He loved trout fishing in Canada and salmon fishing at Westport, Washington or in the Puget Sound or out of La Push, Washington. He was an avid Washington Husky football fan. John moved out to the Kitsap Peninsula to a cabin on Hood Canal. Harvesting fresh oysters off the beach to eat raw or from the BBQ with family or friends was always a treat. He loved just going for drives and was a regular for breakfast at the Chimacum Café. He earned his degree as a substance abuse counselor from Seattle University and volunteered countless hours trying to help others. He was very proud of his almost 40 years of sobriety and regularly attended AA meetings, even when traveling. He ended up living at Montclair Park Assisted Living & Memory Care Community where he received excellent care from the friendly and professional staff who work there. He taught his children loyalty to family, the value of hard work and an education, the love of music, travel and a good book.Dr. Walters passed away on June 11, 2019. He donated his body for research to the University of Washington. Per his wishes, there will be a private family gathering to celebrate his life. If you would like to make a donation in his name, please consider MSF/Doctors Without Borders or a charity of your choice. He believed in giving back to the community.