.......The third son of William Alexander and Ella Florence King, Walter, shown below horsing around with first cousin John Labon Sayre, was my favorite of dad's brothers. Perhaps it was because his "style" appealed to a young boy, but it was probably because he llved with us for awhile and because he and Dad seened to be closer together that the other brothers. They were near the same age, and had probably been close as children.
.......Although he could work as hard as his brothers, Walt knew how to have fun. For Dad, his work seemed to be his recreation. But, that was not so for Walt. Walt loved to hunt and fish and, in his later years, owned a couple of fishing and hunting camps. He had a first rate sense of humor. When they were giving out "funny bones" Walt made sure that he got a big one.
.......Walt would do things that most folks would not dream of doing. He would wade Thirteenmile Creek and "grapple" for turtles. This entailed sticking your hand into a hole in the bank of the creek and pulling out a snapping turtle. Sometimes Walt would get a little bit "too full of himself." Once when a bunch a folks were at the King Place, Walt had caught a huge snapper and was chasing the women around the yard with it. Our neighbor Virgie Wolfe was two sturborn to run and the snapper bit a hunk out of her leg bluejeans and all. She told the story for years and said that it too "ages" for it to heal."
.......I hunted on a number of occasions with Walt. One one hunt, near his camp in Roane County, the rabbit went in a hole under a tree. For most folks, this would have been the end of the hunt at least for that one rabbat. But not for Walt. He lay down on his "belley," stuck his arm into the hole, and pulled out the rabbit which he held under his arm while giving it a "rabbit chop." He was a "crack" shot. Once, at our home at Dunbar, I saw Walt stop a rabbit dead in it's tracks using a single shot twenty-two. That rabbit was running full tilt down hill. This skill was developed when he was a boy. Rifle shells were hard to come by and they were not wasted. Dad was almost as good a shot as Walt, but he didn't have the love for the hunt like Walt did.
.......Walt married my mother's sister Ina Minerva Stone the daughter of Reuben and Iantha Dunham Stone. They had four sons: Walter Lee Jr. William, Ray Stone, and Franklin. Bill passed away a few years ago and is buried at King Cemetery. Walt and Ina lived at Dunbar, West Virginia
.......I wish that I could say that Walt and Ina's marriage lasted. But, when America entered World War II, Walt wanted to "join up" with his boys. But, Ina said no. Walt went anyway and the marriage did not survive this decision and their pride. Walt had already served in the Army during World War I, and now he entered the Navy where he served in the Pacific aboard the Missouri.
.......After the war, Walt married Dodal Taylor and eventually retired from the U.S. Post Office. Walt passed away in the early 1970s and is also buried at King Cemetery. More serious folks may not have approved of Walt's life style as he became fond of the wine, but I loved my Uncle Walt very much. I would not have traded him for anyone else. Sometimes it is the person with the free spirit that helps make life worth living. They remind us that there is a time for the serious and a time for the not so serious. Thank you Uncle Walt.
