Walter C. Head departed this life on Tuesday, June 29, 2021. He was born to the late Eddie Pierce and Mamie Banks Head on October 20, 1936, in Stone Mountain, Georgia. He was the eighth of eleven children born to this union.

Walter moved to Akron, OH in 1944 with his family and attended public schools in Akron before graduating from Hower Vocational School as one of the top 10 students in his class and the first black man to graduate in the machinist track of the Hower curriculum. With aspirations to become an engineer, Walter then attended Otterbein College where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He then enrolled in an applied science program offered by the University of Akron in partnership with Carnegie Tech University where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. Walter then proceeded to become the first Black Mechanical Engineer to graduate from the University of Akron in 1962 and the first Black engineer to earn a position with the General Tire Company in Akron, Ohio immediately thereafter.

Walter left this job, as he would explain to family members years later, to pursue career options that would afford him more autonomy and independence in making a living. With this in mind, he accepted positions working with Equitable Life Insurance in Akron, Ohio, and then Ameron Protective Coatings, where he worked until retirement in 1994. Walter was especially fond of working with Ameron Protective Coatings because this job enabled him to combine the skills he had honed in salesmanship at Equitable with his mechanical engineer training, while also affording him the opportunity to travel.

In his spare time, Walter enjoyed playing golf, board games, and attending live concerts and sports events. He also treasured his independence and quiet time, often choosing to stay home to watch “the ball game,” whether it was basketball, football, or baseball, in the comfort of his own home. He was also an ardent photographer, having won a camera as a door prize at the age of thirteen, a hobby he would pursue well into his retirement years.

Walter married Almatto Head, a nurse, in Akron, Ohio on October 9, 1965. To this union, one child was born, Marla Renee. Walter and “Maita” later divorced but remained lifelong friends. Walter was always an ardently devoted father, sharing a close relationship with his daughter until the very end. He would visit wherever Marla lived, particularly after she met and married Mark Kohlman, thereafter, having two children, Taryn and Kennedy. Taryn and Kennedy invited “Grandpa” to soccer games, karate events, softball games, cheerleading competitions, and track meets. Grandpa always showed up and stayed a while.

In addition to Marla and her family, Walter leaves to cherish his memory his sister, Narvelle Cole of Raleigh, NC; two brothers, Carl Head of San Diego, CA and Willie (Erline) Head of Akron, Ohio, along with a host of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.