Donald John (Bucky) Walters was 89 when he died on March 28, 2013 at the Veterans Administration Health Care Center in Fort Meade. Don was born in Avon, SD on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 1924. His parents, William Sr. and Lillian (Dettlefsen) Walters, lived at the family farm south of Wagner, SD. Don attended a one-room elementary school in Ree Township and then Wagner High School. He was active in all sports and especially excelled at baseball, which he considered pursuing professionally. With World War II raging, Don enlisted with the Marine Corps in 1943 where he was stationed at Camp Pendleton near San Diego, CA. He saw combat in the Pacific theater beginning in 1944. On June 27, 1945, two months before the war was to end, Don and a fellow Marine were on patrol in Okinawa when they were ambushed and shot by a Japanese marksman. Don carried his buddy to safety. It was only then that Don realized that he also had sustained severe leg wounds. For his injuries, Don was awarded the Purple Heart. He was to spend a year in a military hospital and was honorably discharged as a US Marine Corps corporal and although he regained partial use of his leg, his dreams of professional baseball or becoming an athletic coach were not to be. In California after the war, he was a welder in the shipyards. In 1951, he married South Dakotan Eileen Barta in San Diego. Their first child, M. Louise, was born there. Then they moved to Wagner, where Don ran the family farm. Their second child, Barbara, was born in Wagner. Five years later, the family moved to Pierre, where Don worked as a welder during construction of the Oahe Dam. He moved his family to New Mexico for his construction job, then returned to Pierre. He went to work for the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Department, where he was to work for many years managing parks. He retired and he and Eileen relocated to the Black Hills in 1987, living in a beautiful location on Blake Road west of Rapid City. DJ (as he became known in his later years) had many interests, including hunting, fishing, archery and woodworking. He was an active volunteer with the Canyon Lake Senior Center, Boys' Club, State Fish Hatchery, and other organizations. He was a member of St. Therese Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Marine Corps League, and Disabled American Veterans. He contracted Alzheimer's disease. He spent his final five years at the VA Hospital at Fort Meade, where he received excellent care from many dedicated professionals. Don was a good friend of Father Bill Zandri, who visited him at Fort Meade. Survivors include his wife, Eileen Walters, of Rapid City, daughter M. Louise Walters (wife of William Griffin) of Savannah, GA, daughter Barbara Walters Wong (wife of David Wong) of Rapid City, two grandchildren, six great grandchildren, sister-in-law, Leota Sidel (Rapid City), brothers-in-law Don Barta (Rapid City) and Dick (and Marjean) Barta (Vermillion) and many nieces and nephews. Visitation will be 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. with a rosary and wake at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 1 at Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home in Rapid City Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 2 at the Church of St. Therese, the Little Flower, in Rapid City with Rev. William Zandri officiating. On April 3, friends and family will meet at 9:30 a.m. (central time) at Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home, 124 E. Highway 50, Wagner. Burial will be at 10:00 a.m. (central time) on Wednesday, April 3 at St. John's Catholic Cemetery in Wagner with Father Richard officiating. Full military honors will be provided by Wagner Legion Post #11 and Rollie Bucholz of VFW Post #7319. Arrangements are by Osheim & Schmidt Funeral Home of Rapid City and Crosby-Jaeger Funeral Home of Wagner. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Back Pack (feed the children) Program of the United Way.