Cape May County was shocked Jan. 21 to learn of the sudden and tragic death of one of her sons, Mike Walter, in a terrible automobile accident while on a golf outing in Myrtle Beach, S.C. with his friends. It was just one of those things out of the blue: one plans a weekend away with his buddies for a fun time and meets with a horrible end.
I was one of those many fortunate people who knew Mike. Years ago, my partner, Art Baruffi, and I were in real estate development here in Cape May County; we bought land and built homes and condominiums on the acreage we purchased. For a time we had more work to do than time to do it, and we partnered with Mike to meet the demand.
It was a wonderful arrangement because Mike was so easy to work with, and the buyers loved him. He took the pressure off our organization and enabled us to get a lot more done and to breathe much more easily. Back then I could never have known that these years later I’d be sitting at my desk writing about this good man who was more than a decade my junior.
But that is the way of life – full of surprises. If Mike had known in advance that a car would appear out of nowhere, for starters, he would have been wearing his seat belt. After the accident, one of the ladies in our church small group said, “I don’t wear mine either, except when I ride with my granddaughter; she won’t move the car until I have it on. Not anymore,” she added, “now you won’t catch me without it.”
While Mike was not prepared for the accident, he was prepared for eternity. Almost every one of us wants to know what happens to us when we have taken our last breath. Mike was one of those mild-mannered, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” people. He exemplified the Christ in whom he put his trust. In the eternal sense, his death did not surprise him. He is up in that place Christ said he has gone to prepare for those who trust in him.
Another question we want an answer to is, does my life have any meaning – will anybody even notice when I am gone? That question was clearly answered regarding Mike; not only did people notice, but over 500 were in attendance at his funeral. This was a testimony to the fact that, when you are a genuine friend to people and treat people right, a bond is created.
I know that Mike is looking down on us. As I bid him good-bye from this earth, I thank him for the testimony his life was to our Creator.
Cape May – Governor Murphy says he doesn't know anything about the drones and doesn't know what they are doing but he does know that they are not dangerous. Does anyone feel better now?
