Obituary of Jerry Arthur Walz

Jerry Arthur Walz, of Reston, Virginia, passed away November 1st, at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, after a courageous 40-year battle with multiple sclerosis. Jerry was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1936, to the late Arthur and Margherita Walz. He attended Thomas A. DeVilbiss High School where he met his future wife Linda Mayo. He went to the University of Toledo where he was the President of Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and chosen to be a member of the Blue Key Honor Society. Jerry graduated with a degree in electrical engineering. He accepted a position with General Dynamics working on the nation’s ICBM program. General Electric recruited him to work at the NASA’s Mississippi Test Facility in Bay St. Louis on the Apollo Saturn V Moon Rocket.  He and his family moved to Slidell, Louisiana. In Slidell, he became a defender of civil liberties and human rights, and was active in breaking down the barriers to equal employment opportunities within the community. It was during this time he became interested in law. He enrolled in Loyola University, New Orleans, College of Law and earned his Juris Doctor. In 1976, Jerry accepted a position with the Department of Commerce in Washington, DC. His first Government position was as the Chief of the Calibration Branch of the Gulf Regional Calibration Laboratory of NOAA. He went on to become Chief of the Commerce Department’s Contract Law Division for nearly seventeen years. During that time he was awarded two Departmental Silver Medals for renowned service. He retired in 2001. After his retirement he started his own business, PubKLaw. PubKLaw was an invaluable resource to the professional contract law community and provided a daily online publication well into his retirement.  Jerry was also very active in the American Bar Association and was named a Fellow by the ABA/Section of Public Contract Law. He rejoiced in the many accomplishments of family and especially his grandchildren.  In retirement he attended every graduation, speech, athletic event, concert, performance and award ceremony. They filled his later years with joy. As an avid reader he enjoyed sharing reviews of books with others. One of his on-line book friends wrote this about Jerry and his passion for reading: “For myself, because right now the idea that I will connect with someone about books on that level seems unlikely. I am honoring my friend by reading the last 3 books he was working on as well as the 5 left on his "to read" list. Following his lead, 
I will write a short succinct sentence or two on each book and rate them all for him. There is an extra star up there tonight, guiding us all and watching over us. My friend will be missed greatly by his family and friends!” Surviving him are Linda, his wife of 58 years, his children Mark Walz and Holly Vanderhoof, daughter-in-law Kerstin Walz, son-in-law Brian Vanderhoof, brother James Walz and his wife Mary Beth of Cape Canaveral, Florida, sister-in-law Ardith Gestra of San Diego, California, grandchildren Brandon Walz, Jeremy Walz, Ryan Vanderhoof, Chloe Vanderhoof, Alex Mahoney and his wife Brenna, and Andrew Mahoney, two nephews and two nieces, and many friends. For those who wish to make a memorial contribution in Jerry’s name please consider Good Shepherd Lutheran Church where he served as an Elder and on the Worship Board for many years at 1133 Reston Avenue, Herndon, VA 20170 (memo Jerry Walz Memorial Contribution) or the Reston Regional Library, payable to FCPL,  (memo Jerry Walz Memorial Contribution), Attention Daria Parnes, 11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston, VA 20190. A Memorial service will be held at 2:00 on April 29th at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1133 Reston Ave., Herndon, VA 20170. “…It is a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.”  Antoine de Saint-Exupery