Walter James

Kerr

Walter (Wally) James Kerr passed away on November 9th, 2026, five days short of his 89th birthday at his home in Spanish Fork Utah.

Born in South Gate California on November 14th, 1937, he was the darling and the youngest of the Audrey and Leonard Kerr children. He loved and maintained a strong and close relationship with his five older siblings throughout his life.

Wally was a career JC Penny man, starting with the company in 1958 and finally retiring in 1994. The various JC Penny stores where he worked were often a second home for his family and four boys during their growing up years.

He married Honoria (Nora) Garcia on Dec 16th, 1961, with whom he raised four boys. In 1970 they moved from Los Angelos to San Diego where they made lifelong friends and built lasting memories of playing wiffle ball at the park, Padre games, and time at Mission beach and Bay. In 1982 they relocated to Moscow Idaho and remained there until Nora was diagnosed with Cancer in 1988. They returned to Southern California and remained there until her passing in March of 1991.

He Married Helen (LaRae) Free on Nov 20th, 1993, welcoming her three children into the family. After a couple of years in Southern California, they built a home in New Harmony UT and enjoyed the wild and beauty of the southern Utah national parks. A highlight of their early marriage were the two years they spent in Missouri doing family history work and visiting church history sites while he worked for a youth facility.

Dad loved to tell stories. Most of the stories were about some event during his childhood and usually involved his dad, his Dog, Mexico, or a sports team. He was an exceptionally good storyteller and teacher, and it was easy to get lost in the details and magic around the dog, fruit stand, relative, or baseball game he was sharing. Never one to miss a teaching moment, dad would often tie his stories into teaching moments of honesty, family, or faith. He continued storytelling and teaching until the end of his life and hosted an adult family home evening group for the last 10 years of his life which never failed to delight the members of his ward who attended.

With a lasting love of sports, Walter played baseball, softball, basketball and passionately rooted for his favorite sports teams throughout his life. Nothing however, brought him greater joy than to celebrate his children’s accomplishments whether they be a variety of sports, hobbies, careers, or at church. He could frequently be found attending a child’s baseball game, basketball game, track meet, speech competition, graduation, or listening in on their Sunday church talk.

Walter will be remembered and revered as a man completely dedicated to his family and to God. Dad’s greatest joy was the gathering of his children and grandchildren at his home, at the park, or for a Christmas celebration where he would create a fun and heartwarming program filled with games, stories, faith, and fun little presents. His legacy of faith and unwavering commitment to family, God, and Saviour has been etched into the hearts of his children and grandchildren.

Walter is survived by his wife Helen (LaRae) Free Kerr, his four sons, three stepchildren, 31 grandchildren, and 20 great grandchildren.

A funeral service to honor and celebrate Walter’s life will be held on Tuesday, November 17th at 11:00 am at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 989 S. Spanish Fork Parkway, Spanish Fork, Utah. From Highway 6, turn right at 2550 East.

A viewing will be held the same day and at the same location from 9:45 to 10:45.

The service is open to all family and friends who wish to pay their respects.