Walter Anthony Dresel, 94, died peacefully February 25, 2019, in Newport Beach, CA.
He leaves his wife of 71 years, Sophie (Maykowski) Dresel; his daughter, Barbara Dresel; his son, Donald Dresel; five grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; three siblings; and many other family members and friends who love him.
Born and raised in Pennsylvania, the son of Joseph and Mary (Kilok) Dresel, he and his wife and children moved to California in 1964.There, his skills and talents in construction and contracting were employed in the Savings and Loan industry, from which he retired as Vice President of Construction.
Walter was a proud World War II veteran of the US Navy, and he and Sophie enjoyed traveling the country to attend annual reunions of his shipmates from the USS Wilkes-Barre.The fun-loving couple also combined Walt's passion for Model-A restoration with US road trips to attend Model-A swap meets.
Walter was known as a guru of Model-A restoration in Orange County, California, where he lived for fifty years.He spent almost every day of his retirement with his garage door open for "buddies" coming for visits and advice.
But nothing pleased Walter more than his family, doting all his life on kids – babies to adults.He leaves a hole in many lives.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Family Cathedral in Orange on Thursday, March 21, 2019, at 12:10pm.Burial will take place the next day at Riverside National Cemetery.