Peabody - Walter Francis Diehl, Jr. passed away peacefully in Peabody, MA on May 18, 2023, at the age of 87. He is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Jayne; his treasured children Jeffrey Diehl of Houston, TX, and Kristen (and husband Adam) Buckley of Peabody; and his cherished grandchildren Adam and Maximilian Diehl, and Cameron, Christian, Cailyn, and Kyra Buckley. He is also survived by his sisters Virginia Foster and Lynn Diehl, and several nephews and nieces. He was predeceased by his daughter, Robyn Diehl.

Walter was born to Walter and Madeline Diehl in Malden, MA on July 30, 1935. He was a graduate of Archbishop Williams High School (1953), Boston College (1957) and Columbia University School of Law (1962). He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps between 1957 and 1959.

Walter began his practice of law with the Wall Street law firm Dewey, Ballantine, Bushby, Palmer & Wood in 1962. In 1970, he joined the legal department of ITT Corporation headquartered in mid-town Manhattan. Walter specialized in the preparation of documents for corporate financing and restructurings. He retired as a Vice President and Associate General Counsel of ITT in 1996.

During most of his years with ITT, Walter and family resided in Greenwich, CT. Walter and Jayne relocated to Ipswich, MA in 1999 to be closer to their daughters where they lived prior to moving to Brooksby Village in Peabody in 2017.

Walter was a dedicated gardener and proud of his beautiful flower gardens in both Greenwich and Ipswich. He was an avid reader, particularly of world history, and in recent years enjoyed playing cribbage, completing various kinds of puzzles, and especially taking long walks.

Walter and Jayne traveled extensively over the years. They enjoyed many family vacations with their children and business trips with ITT, as well as travel throughout Europe and North America in the years following his retirement. They also vacationed in Ogunquit, ME with their children and grandchildren for 23 consecutive summers, a source of joy for Walter and a legacy his family looks forward to continuing.

Walter was especially grateful that he lived long enough to know and spend time with all his grandchildren and enjoyed being a spectator at many of their sporting events and other activities.

ARRANGEMENTS: A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Brooksby Village Chapel, 100 Brooksby Village Dr., Peabody, MA on Saturday, June 3rd at 1:00pm. Family and friends are invited to attend. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Walter’s memory to the Brooksby Village Scholarship Fund, 200 Brooksby Village Drive, Peabody, MA 01960. For directions and online guestbook please visit www.ccbfuneral.com.