Walter Albert Musolf

Walter Albert Musolf
8/26/32 - 10/4/26

Walt passed away at home in Saint Paul, MN, surrounded by family, on October 4, 2026, after a 94-year, extraordinarily full, high-wattage life.

He is survived by Joan, his wife of 70 years; sons Peter (Kyoko) of Yokohama, Japan, Jeffrey (Monica) of Indio, CA, Joseph (Caroline) of Saint Paul, MN; brother Robert (Dorothy) of Medford, OR; and granddaughters Rachel (Renaud), Margaret, Mary, and Elizabeth. Walt was preceded in death by his mother Rose and father Donald, brothers Thomas and Gerald, and sister Diane.

Walt was born and grew up in Duluth, MN. His family loved to hear stories about his childhood in West Duluth's Raleigh Street neighborhood. After graduating from Denfeld High School in 1950, Walt enlisted in the US Navy. He was proud of his “Seabee” adventures, which took him from Norfolk/Little Creek, VA, to Puerto Rico, Scotland, and around the Mediterranean.

Walt subsequently attended the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he nourished his reading habit and earned a BS in English literature. In short order, he met and married Joanie and took a job with the Prudential Insurance Company of America, retiring from the latter 32 years, untold trips to Detroit, Chicago, and Newark, one Mustang, five BMWs, and three boys through college later.

Walt and Joan lived in Minneapolis, MN, Brooklyn Park, MN, and Wauwatosa, WI, before settling into a home near Crystal Lake in Robbinsdale, MN, remaining there for over 40 years. They moved to Saint Paul in 2008. With Joan, Walt spent many post-work winters in Kailua-Kona, HI, where he didn’t wear his beret, quit the cigars, and made numerous friends.

The immediate family will hold a private memorial ceremony. Our loving husband, brother, father, and grandfather will be laid to rest in the Swedish Mission Cemetery in Joan’s hometown of Buffalo, MN.