Submitted by: Dan Rich

Brother Walter Foken

Sept. 15, 1921 -- April 6, 2006

South Bend Tribune 4/9/2006

Brother Walter (Vincent) Foken, CSC, 84, died after a lengthy illness in Dujarie House, The Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame, on Thursday, April 6.

Br. Walter was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on September 15, 1921, one of five sons and three daughters of William and Helen Foken. Two of his brothers and a sister, a nun, survive. Br. Walter was educated at St. William Elementary School and Elder High School, Cincinnati. After completing high school, Br. Walter became a partner in the grocery firm of Hermes and Foken in Cincinnati, where he worked until joining the Brothers of Holy Cross.

He arrived at the brothers' candidacy program in Watertown, Wis., in September 1941 and was received into the novitiate in Rolling Prairie, Ind., on February 1, 1942. He made his first profession of vows of religion on February 2, 1943 and his perpetual vows on August 16, 1946.

During those years, 1943-1946, he attended the University of Notre Dame where he earned a Ph.D. in Commerce. He was then assigned to the faculty of St. Edward's University, Austin, Texas, and, while teaching, earned an MBA degree from the University of Texas in 1953.

He remained on the business faculty at St. Edward's until 1957 when he was transferred to the new Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, OH. In 1959 Br. Walter moved to St. Edward High School in Lakewood, OH, where he taught for four years. In 1963 he became treasurer and served as a prefect at the brothers' third Cleveland area school, Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, OH.

In 1965 Br. Walter was assigned to the faculty of Cathedral High School, Indianapolis, Ind., and then in 1971 to teach at Catholic Central High School in Monroe, Mich. He spent 15 years at the school, teaching business courses and serving as athletic director. In 1986 he joined the staff at the Holy Cross Brothers Center, Notre Dame, where his nephew, Br. Edward Foken, was residing while teaching at nearby St. Joseph's High School. At the center, Br. Walter assisted as a receptionist until 1997 when health considerations prompted his move to the Helen D. Schubert Villa assisted living facility, and then in recent months to Dujarie House, the brothers' infirmary.

At a slim six feet five inches, Br. Walter enjoyed his association with sports over the years, especially as athletic director in schools. But with his background in commercial subjects, he was asked also to supervise the bookstore at Catholic Central and to moderate student clubs centered on business principles. He enjoyed being outdoors and spent time helping care for the grounds wherever he was stationed. He was a member of the Big State Athletic Conference in Texas, holding the office of president during the 1955-56 school year. He was a longtime active member of the Catholic Business Education Association and of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.

His naturally reserved temperament contributed to his attraction to prayer and to the quiet ambiance associated with collectors' hobbies, such as philately. As a stamp collector, Br. Walter processed hundreds of thousands of stamps, spending hours organizing whatever came to him. Especially, during his years at the Brothers Center.

Br. Walter's habitually friendly, welcoming, and generous personality clearly endeared him to any local community of brothers with whom he lived, as well as to everyone with whom he worked. He was warmly welcomed wherever he was assigned, becoming a model of life in community. He was a staunch fan of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team, and there were few statistics and players related to the Reds that he did not know. He could reminisce at length on the teams Cincinnati field, especially those of the thirties and forties.

Visitation will begin at 2:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, April 11, in St. Joseph's Chapel, the brothers' Holy Cross Village at Notre Dame, 54515 State Road 933. A Mass of the Resurrection will follow at 3:30 p.m. with interment immediately afterward at St. Joseph's Cemetery on the village grounds.

The Kaniewski Funeral Home is handling arrangements.