Walter Haussener

Records apparently do not exist to let us know if Walter Haussener, born in Bern, Switzerland, holds the honor of being the first Swiss national to move to Westminster Canterbury, but we do know that he has the distinction of being the only individual from that country to be moving to WC at this time. He arrives at his Woods Edge apartment by way of Brookneal, Virginia, where, in 1999, he and his wife, Virginia Lynn Marshall (currently residing in WC’s Memory Care) settled on 91 acres next to the farm that had served as her childhood home. 

Upon completion of the educational level required of Swiss citizens in1961, Walter worked in Bern installing telephone switching equipment. Interested in seeking new adventures, along with a willingness to live in countries other than his homeland, he moved to Canada in 1967. Once there, Walter found employment in Montreal with the Marconi Company and worked in quality control of airborne radar equipment. He learned to speak English while living in Canada. 

Walter returned to Bern in 1971 and, while riding a bus he by chance took an empty seat beside Virginia Marshall. The two spoke and she delighted in being able to converse in English with this handsome stranger. At the time, Virginia worked as a medical researcher and Walter had found a job in telecommunications with the Swiss government. 

Virginia’s work and residency in Bern continued; Walter, in addition to his employment, returned to technical school and completed his program in 1974. Friendship between the two grew into affection during this time and they married in 1976. 

When Walter retired in 1999, he had advanced to holding the position of Engineering Superintendent in Telecommunications. With early retirement under his belt, and living in Brookneal, he immediately tackled making some needed repairs on their home. He and Virginia also maintained an apartment in Bern, where they occasionally returned. 

Past hobbies for Walter have included skiing, establishing a small vineyard on his Virginia land, and keeping honey bees. With his move to Westminster Canterbury, he looks forward to utilizing the fitness center and meeting new people. Throughout his life, Walter has looked for experiences that offer opportunities to learn something new, and he expects life at WC to provide him many choices.