With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of our cherished Walter (Walt) Robert Nagle of Wareham, MA after a brief but courageous battle with cancer. He passed away comforted by the warm presence of family in Bourne, MA, on Thursday, August 1st at 88 years old.

Walt leaves behind his beloved daughter Kristen and son Paul; he also leaves behind his treasured grandchildren: Melinda, Katherine, Keira, and Craig. He is additionally survived by his dear brother Edward Nagle, his adored great-grandson, James Walter, and several other family members, friends, and loved ones. Walt was predeceased by his loved and loving wife Barbara A. Nagle, and his son, Sean.

Walt was born in Boston to Dorothy and Walter Nagle, growing up and attending high school in Somerville, MA. We were blessed to hear his numerous stories over the years, the earliest of which included his solo trips on the T at a mere five years old and how he has had some sort of job ever since he was seven. If you wanted to find Walt in his youth, good luck. He was adventurous and loved the outdoors; he took his family on many sailing adventures, dropping anchor in Cuttyhunk Harbor in the summers. He always loved the sea, and later in life spent his time battling the waves in his kayak. Walt also loved exploring the land, spending many summers camping in his trusty RV if not relaxing in his condo in Myrtle Beach, SC. After retirement, he and Barbara traveled the world together; twice, they chased the northern lights all the way to Iceland but to no avail. Cleverly, they replaced the disappointment with a book of pictures of the northern lights, always displayed prominently on their coffee table. They also spent their time volunteering together through Tales of Cape Cod and guiding folks across marshes for the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in Brewster, MA.

Although Walt could not afford to attend college, he was determined to receive an education. He joined the United States Army to take advantage of the G.I. Bill on September 3, 1954, beginning his many diverse careers with the Military Police. While in Virginia as an MPO, his passion for education blossomed from volunteering his time as a football and basketball coach, as well as instructing a marching band. The way he tells it, he seemed to use the opportunity to travel the world despite his run-ins with his superiors. Anyone who spoke with him about his military days will remember his lively retelling of the "RAW MEAT, SIR." story, followed by the orders to march along while playing his trombone.

After his service ended on August 30, 1957, Walt finally achieved his goal of attending Bridgewater Teaching College, attaining his bachelor's and master's degrees. He worked several odd jobs to pay the rest of his living expenses while he attended school, often working at his father's company loading and unloading shipping trucks through the night and heading straight to classes the next day. He met the love of his life in this program, and though she thought he was a slacker for showing up dirty and falling asleep in class, she eventually gave him a chance after his persistent attempts to take her out on a date. After a whirlwind romance, Walt and Barb were engaged within five months and married less than two years later. You hardly found one without the other ever since. They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary together prior to her passing in 2021.

Walt began his nearly lifetime career in public education in 1961 as a middle school teacher in Marshfield and Duxbury, MA. Ever the traveler and set on becoming an administrator within five years, he packed up his young family and began a new role as the youngest elementary school principal in Illinois. However, Massachusetts was his home, and he eventually returned to begin work for six years as a principal in Needham, working as the director of elementary and middle schools and supervising nine elementary and four middle schools during his tenure. After he was directed to close several schools, he left education altogether, realizing "the focus wasn't on educating kids. It was on saving money." He planned on retiring at this point.

As it turns out, Walt was not ready to rest. To change things up, he entered the corporate world, joining Glou International as an executive search consultant, recruiting executives for international corporations. In just five years, he rose from an associate to senior vice president. He spoke fondly of his travels and the impressive folks he met along the way, emphasizing how impactful a clean look was in the interviewing process; however, whenever he referred to this time period, he always stressed that he did not love having to travel often and far from his family. Ever the entrepreneur, he then started his own business: Education Personnel Services, helping school districts locate new administrators. It was this endeavor that brought him to become the interim principal of Harwich Elementary School and to perhaps the proudest moments of his several careers.

On his newest journey, Barb pointed Walt in the direction of a school suffering from great instability. He eventually agreed to take the helm and steady the ship – for a couple months, anyway. Seven years later, he found himself in charge of over 608 elementary school students and a renovation expansion project. He relished the challenge and committed himself to sticking around until the teachers, faculty, and students he oversaw were not only in good hands, but in a stable physical environment. He played a major role in establishing the new facilities in which the elementary schoolers still learn today. He worked with teachers and construction workers while advocating for the students and made sure their learning was not disturbed by such a large-scale construction project. The Harwich school system was sad to see him go, but he was now truly ready to retire. Barbara had retired just two years earlier, and they made month-long plans following his retirement to prevent him from delaying his departure any further. Although it was bittersweet, he was thanked for his years of dedication and service to Harwich Elementary school with a new library named in his honor: Harwich Elementary School Walter R. Nagle Library Media Center.

A quote of Walt in one of several newspaper articles about his retirement from Harwich Elementary about sums up why Walt was an incredible person, always driven by altruism and true compassion for those around him: He will "miss seeing young people learning, 'seeing the sparkle in kids' eyes. Especially kids who may be struggling, and then all of a sudden they see the light. It's nice to think I played a small role in that.'" His mark on this world is one of love, a passion for learning, for others, and for making a difference. He played a role in the sparkle in so many eyes, and his compassionate devotion to public service, education, family, and friends will be remembered by all who had the spectacular fortune to know him. He will be dearly missed.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, August 5th, at the MacDonald Funeral Home in Marshfield. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 6th, at Saint Christine Parish, 1295 Main Street in Marshfield.

For online guest book, driving directions and other helpful information please visit the website macdonaldfuneralhome.com