Lynn Walt Sheffield Jr.

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Lynn Walt Sheffield Jr. of Smiley passed away on Thursday, April 27. He was 30 years old.

He was born on June 29, 1986 in Seguin to Lynn Walt Sheffield, Sr. and Sylvia Dianne Windwehen Sheffield. He was baptized and confirmed in First United Methodist Church in Gonzales. He graduated from Boling High School in Boling, Texas (near Wharton) after attending school in Gonzales. He lived at the family home in Smiley most of his life.

“Walt” as he was popularly known created many childhood memories for the family and friends who knew him. He loved speed and was known for riding his dirt bike at breakneck speed wherever and whenever he could. Once when a 36-inch gas pipeline was being installed near his house he drove his go-cart through it. He also loved to tie a rope on his brother’s truck so he could be pulled down the highway while riding his skateboard. If there was fun to be had at high speed, Walt was there.

Walt seemed to be always having an adventure, sometimes by himself and sometimes with his sister, Dawn. He and Dawn would take a can of soup, a can opener and a granola bar and head off into the pasture. They usually ended up on top of the hill on top of the hay bales. Their mother would call them home by honking the horn because they were too far away to hear anything else. Walt once thought it would be a good idea to kill, skin, cook and eat a rattlesnake while his parents were gone. He called his mother, asked if she was hungry, and then told her his fingers felt all tingly. He and Dawn once built their own ladder and hauled a picnic basket up an oak tree to have lunch.

From childhood through adulthood, Walt loved the outdoors. If Walt could be outside, he was happy. Most of all he loved fishing. Walt idolized his big brother Stephen. Some of his happiest times were when they were on the river together. He loved to catch fish, cook fish and eat fish but if there was not someone else around to clean them, he sometimes threw back his catch.

His whole life, Walt loved animals. Living in the country, there were always many animals around, especially dogs and cats. When one died, he was the one that gave it a proper burial in the back yard. He went out during a severe thunderstorm to save some kittens from drowning. The family had a donkey named Delores that Walt befriended and would ride Delores through the pasture. He was heartbroken when his dog Bandit the Boxer died. Recently he was treating on old injured tomcat by grinding up a baby aspirin in his mother’s fresh ground meat.

The whole family remembers Walt as a great cook. Whether he was in the kitchen or at the grill, it was going to be something good. When he was working in town, he would stop so he could cook lunch for his mother and aunt so they did not have to. He once boasted to his aunt not to tell his mother but he thought he was a better cook.

Walt also had talents outside the kitchen. He was a handyman at home and for his aunt. As a child, he loved taking things apart to see how they were made and how they worked. However, he was never very good at putting them back together. As an adult, he improved. Whenever one of their trucks had a problem, Walt was the one to fix it. He kept the lawn cut, checked the well and generally fixed things.

Walt was a gentle and kind soul with an infectious laugh and a beautiful smile. It always upset him when someone was angry with him, especially his mother. His nieces and nephews loved him because he always had time for them and gave them his undivided attention for as long as they wanted. They thought he was the coolest uncle a person could have. His love for them was unconditional.

Walt is survived by his parents Lynn and Sylvia Sheffield of Smiley, sister Brandy Michelle Gill and husband Joshua of Killeen, brother Stephen Christopher Tate of Martindale, sister Dawn Marie Sheffield of Selma, grandmother Wynelle Sheffield as well as numerous aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews who loved him. He was preceded in death by his grandfather Walter Zane Sheffield, maternal grandparents Karl Robert Windwehen, Sr. and Wilma Myrtis Windwehen.

A memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church, Gonzales at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 2 with a period of fellowship immediately following. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Round Lake Cemetery Association c/o Faye Robinson, 998 N FM 108, Smiley, Texas 78159 or First United Methodist Church, 426 Saint Paul St., Gonzales, Texas 78629.

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