Well, my dad has been talking about it for years and finally did it...RETIRED!!! We are so proud of him. Here is a little party that Kaiser put together for him at the Hilton which was so nice. Danny put together a great slide show of his life. Here is a speech Heather & I gave.
"Walt Lietz, The Manager at Home"
First off, we would like to Congratulate our Dad. We are so proud of him and all that he has accomplished. His strong work ethic and dedication has blessed the lives of so many including helping to shape me and my sister into the women we are today. We figured it would be fun to let you know the Walt Lietz outside of the office. I’m sure there are several similarities as well as differences between Walt as a co-worker, father, husband and friend. We hope we can help paint the picture of the Dad we admire and love so much.
To Start off here is a little background…
Walt Lietz was born on Christmas day, 1942 in New York City to German immigrants. He was not taught English until kindergarden. That might help explain his difficulty with spelling. Thank goodness for modern day Spell Check. He worked hard at his fathers nursery and excelled in school, graduating with honors to attend Rensailliar Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. High level calculus persuaded him to switch majors from Engineering to Psychology, which worked out to his advantage considering he was preparing to live with us, a houseful of women, and had to manage a whole bunch of you.
After college, Walt moved to NYC to pursue a career in banking. At the age of 30, Walt met Jacquie (his wife of 31 years). In 1977 they decided to leave behind family and friends and make the big move to sunny California to pursue a job with Levi Strauss. In 1979, they celebrated the New year with the birth of their daughter Heather and their precious angel Heidi, that’s me, was born 2 years later.
As you begin to get older, you start to appreciate the parts of your parents that you didn’t notice growing up. You begin to understand that your Dad is a real person with true feelings, goals and of course quarks. Now that he is retired and you can’t embarrass him every day in the office, I guess we can let you in on a few of our favorite stories about our Dad that help explain the man he really is.
His AppearanceOur Dad has truly looked the same for the last 30 years with the exception of a few minor changes. He no longer wears bell bottoms, traded in his large frame glasses with eye surgery, shaved his beard and most importantly got rid of his comb over. It was my wish that he shave his head for my wedding. I wasn’t trying to be trivial but knew how much better he would look without it. Sure enough, my Dad came home a few days later with a shaved head. This reminded me that my Dad did everything for us girls. I didn’t have to beg, I simply asked and days later he did it. He always wanted us to be happy and would do anything without a 2nd thought for his girls. Too bad we haven’t met many of you until tonight. You just might have gotten a couple more vacation days, a bigger bonus, that project you needed done a little bit sooner or more donut days if you knew to go through us.
His Rituals
My Dad is a creature of habit. He has rituals that must be done daily, nightly and weekly. If they aren’t done he isn’t one to get frustrated, but takes the time to ensure order and cleanliness. Yes, it is somewhat obsessive compulsive.
#1 – Take a nightly trip to the grocery store. Without fail, the fridge needs to be stocked, even if it is just for one gallon of milk, some fresh strawberries or a new gallon of ice cream. If you haven’t heard, my dad is very pleased with Walnut Creek shopping…AKA a local Costco and now loves to make pit stops at our houses to
deliver the goods and ensure we are well taken care of. #2 - Re-arrange the cars.
Yes, growing up every night he re-arranged all 6 cars in the driveway. Each car had its spot either in the garage, on the curb or in the driveway. #3 – Put misplaced shoes back in their appropriate place. The house was always kept clean amidst living with all girls with way too many shoes left in every room of the house. #4 - The breakfast table was set. No, I don’t mean 1st thing in the morning, it needed to be done the night before. He was preparing for a luxurious breakfast buffet that was made each morning including waffles, pancakes, omelets and fresh fruit.
All of these rituals were narrowed down to a science to ensure that we had as much quality time as possible. Sitting around the table for breakfast and dinner was valuable family time where we talked about school, sports, goals, stresses, hysterical stories of the day and life. These rituals ensured our family lived in a clean house, ate nutritious meals, and had time to sit and talk.
His Generosity
Growing up, my dad was very generous. Embarassing to admit, I had a credit card my Dad paid until the day I got married. Upon my request he cut it up at my rehearsal dinner to help curb my clothes buying habit. He is not one to worry about trivial things. From as long as I can remember, my dad drove a white pick-up truck. If he ever gave you a ride, you know this wasn’t a luxurious big, manly Chevy truck…our dad settled for a tiny white pick-up without power steering. Of course his girls got new cars: Me a Red Jeep Cherokee, Heidi a new Explorer, my Mom a BMW, and even my Grandma who lived with us a got a new Maxima. He provided for all of us with the very best.
His generosity stretched much farther than his family. He was always working on some elaborate volunteer project that nobody else was crazy enough to undertake. He made and compiled a cake for my 5th grade graduation consisting of over 50 separate cakes. He helped construct an impressive stage for the annual Walnut Creek Aquanuts Synchronized Swim show. He even swam in the show, showing off his synchro moves to the City. He helped us raise guide dogs, was the director of swim Invitationals hosting hundreds of swimmers, always graciously volunteering to throw a party for friends weddings, retirements, or birthdays. If it wasn’t enough to live with a houseful of women, including his mother-in-law, he always opened the guest room to anyone who needed a place to stay. At one time we had 2 German synchronized swimmers living with us for the summer, another swimmer stayed with us her junior and senior year of high school, foreign exchange students and even a few we wish to forget.
Most importantly he helped mold us into the individuals we are today. I remember talking with my dad about finding peace and fulfillment in life. Many people in today’s society think that success and fulfillment comes from a good job, a nice house or social status. My dad was quick to point out that in his life, fulfillment came from his marriage and seeing his daughters become self sufficient and successful young women.
He exemplified the importance of family in his daily life. After a long days work, I am sure he would often come home very tired, but always managed to find time and energy to help with dinner, the house, and our homework. No wonder why the only subject I struggled with was Spanish…I should have taken German. He has taught us to be kind and generous to all around us, so if you are ever in the area and want to enjoy his elaborate breakfasts, dinners or cakes stop on by. He has taught us to constantly strive to improve and excel in school, sports and life. We always heard how proud he was of us which instilled confidence in each of us. For this and so much more we want to say thank you dad.
You deserve the best retirement after 65 years of hard work, dedication and loyalty to the places you have worked and people you have worked with. After years of service, that I know will never end, don’t forget to take some time for yourself. You deserve it more than anyone we know. We know that your retirement will be surrounded with loved ones and parties with friends. Art classes where you can show off your artistic side. Drives on winding roads with the porshe club. Blessing your children with a great babysitter and more importantly grandchildren with your wisdom, love and someday homework help. Making wikipedia corrections to help the world gain correct knowledge. Traveling the world to see the beautiful sights of nature and different cultures. Working in your garden and building your elaborate greenhouse. Did I mention molding in my house and a sprinker system at Heathers? In all seriousness we love you and want to know how very proud we are of you. Congratulations on this exciting time in your life.
THANKS DAD!
WE LOVE YOU!
Scott LOVES to help with Tyler's bath. He pulls his chair up and rubs soap all over Tyler's body. I just love these brother moments. I do love having them so close in age, even though right now it is difficult that Tyler doesn't like to sleep at night and has so many dr. appts. I just keep thinking to myself, "this too will pass." I know they are going to be great buddies and I love that they are both boys and 19 months apart. 
