Sturdivant, Walter
STURDIVANT, Jr., Walter
Walter Cabot Sturdivant, Jr., 86, entered into eternal rest on March 3, 2022. He was born at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, GA, on September 8, 1935, to the late Elizabeth Phillips and Walter Cabot Sturdivant, Sr. He attended E. Rivers Elementary School and the Marist School in Atlanta and graduated from Middlesex Preparatory School in Concord, MA. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. Following his graduation from UNC, he served honorably as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps and completed his commission as a first lieutenant.
All during his life Walter loved the written word and had a novel and many magazine articles published over the years. He worked for several newspapers in the southeast and later for Scientific Atlanta and other firms as a technical writer and editor. After retirement, Walter volunteered as a tutor for elementary school students in Atlanta's inner-city schools for several years where the students loved him. He served as President of the Advisory Board for the Salvation Army's Red Shield and for many Christmas seasons he greatly enjoyed "ringing the bell" with other volunteers to raise money for its Red Kettle Fund.
Walter is survived by his wife Marion Gaines Sturdivant; his daughter Harriet Sturdivant White, her husband Brian of Atlanta, their three daughters Caroline, Emily and Mary; his daughter Catherine Sturdivant of Athens, GA; and his sister-in-law Olive Gaines of Kingston, TN. In addition, Walter's marriage to Marion provided him with the love and respect of her three sons, their wives and children (the young grandchildren called him "WaWa"): Whitney O'Keeffe and Lisa Faiola and their daughter Makayla of Chicago, IL, Davis and Karla O'Keeffe and their sons Quin and Liam of Houston, TX, and Calvin and Celia O'Keeffe and their son Price and daughter Campbell of Atlanta. Walter was predeceased by his sister Corinne Sturdivant Appleby and sister-in-law Patricia Gaines.
A family memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Walter's name to Respite Care Atlanta, Inc., 2715 Peachtree Road, NE, Atlanta, GA 30305 (www.respitecareatlanta.org), or a charity of your choice.
