Walter F. Naedele, 80, of West Mt. Airy, a reporter who wrote for the The Philadelphia Inquirer and earlier for the The Bulletin in a journalistic career that spanned 58 years, died Feb. 15 of complications from a blood cancer at Keystone Hospice in Wyndmoor.
Prior to becoming an obituary writer in 2009, Mr. Naedele had covered a wide variety of events for both newspapers. For The Bulletin, he covered Philadelphila’s Bicentennial celebration in 1976 and, after John Lennon was shot to death in 1980, he was sent to Liverpool, England, to interview Lennon’s former high school teacher.
When The Bulletin closed in January of 1982, he was hired by the Inquirer to cover crime, agriculture and city politics. During the Iran-Iraq war in 1984 took a leave of absence to serve with the National Guard near the Persian Gulf. From 1987 to 2009 he wrote feature stories from the Philadelphia suburbs.
Born and reared in Bridgeport, Conn., Mr. Naedele attended Fairfield College Preparatory School and, after studying briefly at a Catholic seminary in Bloomfield, Conn., graduated from Fairfield University.
He began his journalistic career as a reporter for the Bridgeport Telegram, then for two years worked for the National Conference of Christians and Jews in New York. When he submitted an account of a three-day convention the conference held in Philadelphia to The Bulletin, he was immediately hired by The Bulletin’s editor Sam Boyle.
Mr. Naedele served in the Air National Guard from 1950 to 1956 and was sent overseas during the Berlin crisis of 1961.
He traveled frequently to Austria and Germany and for years would spend several weeks in December attending the theater in London. He enjoyed hiking along the Wissahickon Creek near his home.
Mr. Naedele is survived by a nephew, a niece and a great-niece.
A memorial Mass will be celebrated at noon Saturday, Feb. 25, at Our Mother of Consolation Church , 9 E. Chestnut Hill Ave. in Chestnut Hill. Memorial donations may be made to the church at the above address. –WF
