Obituary of Walter Shamkin

Walter "Walt" Shamkin took his final breath on the morning of June 21, 2016. Walter was a resident of Tucson, AZ and former resident of Queens, NYC and LaGrangeville, NY. He was a loving father and father in-law to Mikhail and Dawn Shamkin (Maryland); James Shamkin (Arizona) and Darda Harn (d. 2014); Walter Jr (d. 2008) and Patricia Shamkin (d. 2015); Christina Haufe (Illinois) and Thomas Haufe (Virginia). Walter was predeceased by his beautiful wife and mother of his children, Mary Fox (d.1984.) He was a devoted grandfather to his eleven grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren and is survived by his wife Adrienne Shamkin. Born on Nov. 30, 1922, in NYC, Walter was the youngest of seven children born to Nikita and Christina Shamkin of Tereshkova, Belarus. Walter dedicated his life to protecting and caring for others both in the United States Navy during World War II, and as a fireman with the New York City Fire Dept from 1954 to 1977 - Engine 58 and Engine 307-becoming a Lieutenant. Walter was a masterful craftsman, artist, mechanic and builder. He enjoyed mentoring others, and was a loyal friend to all his colleagues and large extended family. His family is eternally grateful for the supportive and nurturing family life that he provided to us all. He adored his older siblings, nieces and nephews both near and far. Walter was extremely humble, coming to the aid of anyone in need. He was the type of man to give you the shirt off his back. His family will also remember him as a consummate chef and athlete. His boundless energy made him a successful tri-athlete, an avid cyclist, boxer, swimmer, and runner. Walter was tireless in spirit and fortitude. He owned and operated Walt's Refrigeration Service. After retiring from FDNY, he become an EMT and also worked as a chief maintenance engineer, for Holiday Inn, Tucson. Walter was courageous, noble, generous and kind. He will always be remembered, loved and respected by his family and friends and will be missed dearly. A Memorial ceremony will be held at the McGee Ranch Cemetery, at noon on Saturday, September 24th. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Last Alarm Foundation (http://lastalarmfoundation.com/donations/) in Walter's memory.