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Walter J. Apley
07/09/1948 — 04/04/2005
From Richland, WA, US | Born in Salem, Oregon
Walter J. Apley
Walter J. Apley, 56, passed away April 4, 2005, following a brief but hard-fought battle with cancer. Walt is survived by his wife, Gail, and their two daughters, Becky and Snejana; mother, Kay Apley of Salem, Oregon; father, Walt Apley, Sr. of Ajijic, Mexico; and sister and brother-in-law, Betsy and Manuele Ballarin of Venice, Italy; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by two sisters, Sue in 1975 and Maureen in 2004.
He was a perfect friend and loving husband and father, son and brother. He was and is a major source of strength, humor, compassion and guidance, and empowered all he came to know. He was a voracious reader, enjoyed composing limericks and loved history, especially books on Ben Franklin. He lived life with humility and a gentleness that was endearing, and had a smile that was contagious.
Walt was born on July 9th, 1948, and raised in Salem, Oregon; and then graduated from Stanford University with a bachelors and masters degree in engineering. Following five years of service as a nuclear submarine officer, Walt earned his masters and doctorate degrees in nuclear engineering from the University of Washington.
He joined the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 1977, where he held numerous leadership positions. He served as PNNLs Deputy Director for Operations, FFTF Standby Project Office Director, and Associate Laboratory Director for the Environmental Technology Directorate. He also was named interim Laboratory Director in early 2003. Most recently, he was an invaluable member of the Battelle Energy Alliance team that successfully bid on the management of the Idaho National Laboratory.
In both his professional and personal life, Walt was a dedicated man. He was an active member of Christ the King Church and the American Nuclear Society, and supported several community organizations, including Columbia Basin College, the Childrens Center, United Way, and the March of Dimes and programs at many N.W. universities.
Walt was well known for his wry wit and penchant for sharing quotations. He would likely want us to remember the words of Mark Twain, Power, money, persuasion, supplication, persecution these can lift a colossal humbug, push it a little, weaken it a little; but only laughter can blow it to rags and atoms at a blast. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.
Services for Walt will be Monday, April 11, 2005, at noon in Christ the King Church in Richland. A reception will follow at 1 p.m. at the Richland Community Center. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Tri-Cities Chaplaincy Hospice and Counseling, 2108 W. Entiat Ave., Kennewick, WA 99336; and to Christ the King School, 1122 Long Ave., Richland, WA 99352.
Dear Gail,
Walt was a most unique, charming, efficient, witty, and very caring man. He will be sorely missed by so many. I had the privilege of being his secretary from 1989 to 1992. His sense of humor was droll, unique, and most often, self-deprecating. Staff on the Tritium Target Development Program never heard the same story twice. Walt was very caring about all those who reported to him, and when the project ended, he ensured that all staff had new positions within Battelle.
His story regarding his escorting Admiral Nimitz aboard the nuclear submarine Walt was serving on with Admiral Nimitz not having the proper security credentials visible, was amazing. Walt handled the situation with his usual finesse, without insulting the Admiral or breaking security regulations.
Gail, both Larry and I offer our most sincere condolences on the loss of a wonderful man, who will remain in our memories and hearts forever.
Larry and Sallie Worden
Having known Walt since he joined PNNL, my unforgettable memories of him include
his boundless enthusiasm, creative spark, and can do attitude;
his self-effacing and refreshingly unpretentious personality, reflected, in part, in his droll sense of humor;
his refusal to take corporate life too seriously;
his meticulous attention to detail, accompanied by his laser-sharp ability to face facts objectively, set priorities, and focus his attention accordingly;
his sky-high personal and professional standards; and
his complimentary and encouraging remarks on ones work, through which he brought out the best in everyone.
The approach he took to life is illustrated by Apleys First Law of the Desert: When circled by buzzards, keep crawling!
With deepest sympathy to all of his loved ones,
Walt Laity
Everyone who knows Walt and his family realize what a treasure he was. We all have many memories of how he enriched our lives. As a co-worker who sometimes reported to Walt I remember his uniquely charming way of saying “no” to a request. You knew he cared and he carefully explained the reason for his decision. We will always remember seeing him at PNNL’s 50th anniversary celebration and how happy he was to see all of us and be part of it.
To Walt’s family:
It has been a great pleasure to have worked with Walt on a number of occasions here at PNNL. His ability to teach and share his experiences was a gift that not many people have. I am a better person for having known and worked with Walt. The Institute and Lab will miss his contributions.
Pat Lamberson, Human Resources Manager
I worked with Walt at Battelle. Great, great guy and contributor. On the fun side, Walt was on occasion a participant on our Battelle bball team – the Derelicks. When he was there we had fun. He’ll be missed by all. I’ll have fond memories of Walt. Jim
Dear Gail,
Walt was a most unique, charming, efficient, witty, and very caring man. He will be sorely missed by so many. I had the privilege of being his secretary from 1989 to 1992. His sense of humor was droll, unique, and most often, self-deprecating. Staff on the Tritium Target Development Program never heard the same story twice. Walt was very caring about all those who reported to him, and when the project ended, he ensured that all staff had new positions within Battelle.
His story regarding his escorting Admiral Nimitz aboard the nuclear submarine Walt was serving on with Admiral Nimitz not having the proper security credentials visible, was amazing. Walt handled the situation with his usual finesse, without insulting the Admiral or breaking security regulations.
Gail, both Larry and I offer our most sincere condolences on the loss of a wonderful man, who will remain in our memories and hearts forever.
Larry and Sallie Worden
Having known Walt since he joined PNNL, my unforgettable memories of him include
his boundless enthusiasm, creative spark, and can do attitude;
his self-effacing and refreshingly unpretentious personality, reflected, in part, in his droll sense of humor;
his refusal to take corporate life too seriously;
his meticulous attention to detail, accompanied by his laser-sharp ability to face facts objectively, set priorities, and focus his attention accordingly;
his sky-high personal and professional standards; and
his complimentary and encouraging remarks on ones work, through which he brought out the best in everyone.
The approach he took to life is illustrated by Apleys First Law of the Desert: When circled by buzzards, keep crawling!
With deepest sympathy to all of his loved ones,
Walt Laity
Everyone who knows Walt and his family realize what a treasure he was. We all have many memories of how he enriched our lives. As a co-worker who sometimes reported to Walt I remember his uniquely charming way of saying “no” to a request. You knew he cared and he carefully explained the reason for his decision. We will always remember seeing him at PNNL’s 50th anniversary celebration and how happy he was to see all of us and be part of it.
To Walt’s family:
It has been a great pleasure to have worked with Walt on a number of occasions here at PNNL. His ability to teach and share his experiences was a gift that not many people have. I am a better person for having known and worked with Walt. The Institute and Lab will miss his contributions.
Pat Lamberson, Human Resources Manager
I worked with Walt at Battelle. Great, great guy and contributor. On the fun side, Walt was on occasion a participant on our Battelle bball team – the Derelicks. When he was there we had fun. He’ll be missed by all. I’ll have fond memories of Walt. Jim
Guestbook for
Walter J. Apley