Alton-----Richard Park Wallsten, 93 passed away on April 13, 2016 in St. Petersburg, Fl. He was born on March 29, 1923 in Worcester, Ma., the son of Walfred and Hildur Park Wallsten.
He was a graduate of Worcester North High School in 1941 and the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1945. From 1945-48 he served in the Occupation Forces in Japan and came to respect the Japanese people and their culture. In 1950 he received his Master's Degree in Geography from the University of Virginia and was then assigned to the Pentagon. In 1952 he and Alice Ann Thomas of Jacksonville, Fl. were married and together they moved first to Belgium and then the Netherlands where he was the Assistant Military Attache. In 1955 he was stationed at the Tactical Intelligence School at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Dick retired from the Military in 1955 to pursue other career goals. He purchased land in 1957 and built Minge Cove Marina on Lake Winnipesaukee in Alton which he operated until 1988.
From 1959-1969 he taught Science and Mathematics at Belmont High School, Belmont, NH. In 1969 he became a member of the Mathematics Department at Westborough High School in Westborough, Ma. until his retirement in 1984.
As a youth he was inspired by earning the Eagle Scout Award and felt that it propelled him in his future choice of careers. An accomplished skier, he helped establish the first ski team at West Point. Dick continued to be an avid outdoorsman his entire life hiking, boating, golfing and maintaining his home and property on the lake. He had a genuine interest in people and enjoyed talking with everyone and learning about them and their interests.
In 1988 he and Eloise Stoddard Nickerson were married and in their retirement spent their winters in Florida and traveled throughout the the United States and many countries abroad. Dick always remarked after returning that there was no place like their home on Lake Winnipesaukee. The high point of his later years was the birth of his grandson, Nathaniel in 2012.
He is survived by his wife Eloise Stoddard Nickerson, his son Bruce and wife Denise and their son Nathaniel. He is also survived by his sister Dorothy Drake, Eloise's sons, Mark, Scott, and Ross Nickerson, their families and several nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his first wife, Alice Ann Thomas and his sister, Jean Moore.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 1:30pm at the Beane Conference Center, 35 Blueberry Lane, Laconia NH, the Rev. Dr. Warren H. Bouton will officiate.
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests 54 Portsmouth St. Concord NH or to the charity of your choice.
Wilkinson-Beane-Simoneau-Paquette Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 164 Pleasant Street, Laconia NH is assisting the family with the arrangements. For more information and to view an online memorial go to www.wilkinsonbeane.com.