Walter Samuel "Terry" Falk, III

1945 - 2007  (61 years)

• Name	Walter Samuel "Terry" Falk  [1]
  Suffix	III
  Nickname	Terry
  Born	20 Sep 1945	Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania
  Gender	Male
  Died	10 Jul 2007	Rockport, Aransas County, Texas
  Notes	Legendary Texas artist, Walter S. Falk III died unexpectedly on Tues., July 10, while painting in his home studio in Rockport. The son of the late Anne and Lt. Col. Walter S. Falk, Jr., he is survived by wife Rhonda Stout Falk, Rockport; daughter Sheryl Falk, Houston; sons Nathan and Benjamin Falk, Rockport, sister Patricia Falk, Bridgeport, CT; and devoted friends and collectors around the world. Born Sept. 20, 1945, in Philadelphia, Walter graduated from The University of Texas at Austin. He attended graduate school in philosophy, but when his advisor lost his Ph.D. dissertation, Falk crossed Guadalupe St. and began painting and selling watercolors on the sidewalk. Falk pushed to establish a dedicated marketplace for artists and craftspeople, which led to the creation of the People's Renaissance Market. Falk was an exquisite artist with a distinctive artistic style-lyrical, whimsical and captivating. He combined dreamlike color in watercolor, acrylic, or oil backgrounds, with human figures inked with unerring gesture and movement, with brief, poetic titles. He had gallery shows, but he felt art belonged to the people, not to the upper crust alone. So he sold his paintings on the street and in festivals, which made him a keen human observer, contributing to his artistic reach even as it challenged him materially. Walter loved beauty, and made many sacrifices for his art. He sold nearly 40,000 original works in his life time, an achievement friends believe is unequalled, and he sold them on every continent on the globe. Falk traveled extensively throughout Mexico, Canada, Europe, and South America. He had great adventures, climbing pyramids, mountains, and waterfalls, swimming with alligators and fighting bandidos. He shared his adventurous spirit in his paintings and through his captivating stories. He was a larger than life character who has been compared to Hemingway and Steinbeck. He relished life, and stayed true to himself throughout his. A funeral service will be held this Sunday, 2:30 pm, at the First United Methodist Church, Rockport. A celebration of his life will be held soon in Austin. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made toward any charity supporting the arts or the environment or the American Heart Society. (Courtesy of Sheryl Falk)
  Person ID	I230	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	21 Aug 2021

  
  

  Father	Walter Samuel Falk, Jr.,   b. 22 Mar 1914, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania ,   d. 27 May 2001, Austin, Travis County, Texas  (Age 87 years)
  Mother	Josephine Anne Glennon Pearce,   b. 18 Oct 1923, Pascagoula, Jackson County, Mississippi ,   d. 18 Dec 1994, San Patricio County, Texas  (Age 71 years)
  Married	2 Jun 1944	Biloxi, Harrison County, Mississippi
  	Sheryl Falk emailed that "My grandfather, Walter S. Falk, Jr. married Anne Pearce on June 2, 1944 in Biloxi Mississipi in the Chapel at Kessler Field. Her parents were from Biloxi, Mississippi."
  Family ID	F11080	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Living
  Children	1. Living
  Last Modified	9 Dec 2006
  Family ID	F222	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Living
  Children	1. Living   2. Benjamin Andrew Falk,   b. 12 Jan 1989, Austin, Travis County, Texas ,   d. 15 Jul 2023, Austin, Travis County, Texas  (Age 34 years)
  Last Modified	31 Oct 2007
  Family ID	F9612	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 20 Sep 1945 - Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Died - 10 Jul 2007 - Rockport, Aransas County, Texas  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Photos

  _Falk, Walter S. B. 1945 Pennsylvania D. 2007 Texas Walter graduated from The University of Texas at Austin. He attended graduate school in philosophy, but when his advisor lost his Ph.D. dissertation, Falk crossed Guadalupe St. and began painting and selling watercolors on the sidewalk. Falk pushed to establish a dedicated marketplace for artists and craftspeople, which led to the creation of the People's Renaissance Market. He was an exquisite artist with a distinctive artistic style-lyrical, whimsical and captivating. He combined dreamlike color in watercolor, acrylic, or oil backgrounds, with human figures inked with unerring gesture and movement, with brief, poetic titles. He had gallery shows, but he felt art belonged to the people, not to the upper crust alone. So he sold his paintings on the street and in festivals, which made him a keen human observer, contributing to his artistic reach even as it challenged him materially. Walter loved beauty, and made many sacrifices for his art. He sold nearly 40,000 original works in his life time, an achievement friends believe is unequalled, and he sold them on every continent on the globe.

  
  

  Documents

  Falk, Walter S. "Terry" Exhibition Poster AN EXHIBIT HONORING WALTER FALK - October 20 thru November 3, 2007 South Austin Museum of Popular Culture 1516B South Lamar Boulevard Austin, Texas 78704 Falk pushed to establish a dedicated marketplace for artists and craftspeople to sell their work. These efforts led, in 1982, to the West 23rd St. People's Renaissance Market, and eventually, closing one block permanently to vehicles. In the 1970s, Falk was on the Board of Directors of the University YMCA. He helped make Eeyore's Birthday Party an iconic Austin celebration, and emceed the event for many years.

  
  

• Sources

  [S674] Tisdale, Evon McLemore-Family Member, Correspondence and Interviews.