Walter "Wally" A. Chenoweth

Wally passed away peacefully in his sleep after a long and happy life.

He was born in San Francisco to Walter and Jean Chenoweth. During his childhood and teenage years, he spent many happy summers in Los Angeles with his Auntie Ethel Mae and Uncle Spencer. Since he loved the warmth and beaches of Southern California, UCLA was a perfect fit for him. He pledged Beta Theta Pi fraternity and remained a loyal member and benefactor throughout his life. At UCLA, he met the love of his life, Charlanne Swanson, who was a beautiful and renowned member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority at UCLA. They married in 1953, just before Wally shipped out with the Navy as a Communications LTJG officer on the USS Yorktown.

After the Navy, Wally and Char moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, for Wally to attend and receive his master's degree from Harvard Business School. He then worked for IBM selling the first generation of computers in Los Angeles and New York.

After his time on the East Coast, Wally again yearned for the California sunshine so he and Char returned to Southern California where he worked for IBM and then shifted to the world of commercial real estate. Wally worked for Coldwell Banker commercial real estate in the downtown San Diego office and then opened and managed the north county branch of Coldwell Banker commercial real estate in Carlsbad.

In California, Wally and Char were blessed with two wonderful children: Walt and Beth. They raised the children in beautiful La Jolla and then moved to Rancho Santa Fe when the kids went off to college. The whole family enjoyed the "dear little house" (as Char called it) in Rancho Santa Fe, including Wally and Char's four wonderful grandchildren: Trevor, Megan, Calvin, and Nicholas (Owen). Wally and Char had 55 wonderful years of marriage.

Tragically Char passed away from cancer in 2008. Wally rekindled a family friendship with Helen Hammond from La Jolla, who made him smile again. They laughed a lot, teased each other frequently and reminisced about their deceased spouses.

Wally lived a full and wonderful life, including plenty of time at the beach, playing tennis, and a lot of time in his cherished pool in Rancho Santa Fe. He loved spending time with his family, drinking lemonade, and eating potato chips. He enjoyed martinis just the way he loved them: on the rocks in a bucket glass with an olive and lemon twist while celebrating UCLA football and always wearing blue to match his eyes.

His family will miss him dearly but are comforted to know that he and Char are finally reunited in Heaven.

A celebration of Wally's life will be held at La Costa Glen on December 27th. Please contact Beth Chenoweth for more information.

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