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Walter Samuel "Terry" Falk, III

Walter Samuel "Terry" Falk, III

Male 1945 - 2007  (61 years)

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  • Name Walter Samuel "Terry" Falk  [1
    Suffix III 
    Nickname Terry 
    Birth 20 Sep 1945  Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Death 10 Jul 2007  Rockport, Aransas County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this location 
    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 Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 27 May 2001, Austin, Travis County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 87 years) 
    Mother Josephine Anne Glennon Pearce,   b. 18 Oct 1923, Pascagoula, Jackson County, Mississippi Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 18 Dec 1994, San Patricio County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 71 years) 
    Marriage 2 Jun 1944  Biloxi, Harrison County, Mississippi Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • 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
    Family ID F222  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 9 Dec 2006 

    Family 2 Living 
    Children 
     1. Living
     2. Benjamin Andrew Falk,   b. 12 Jan 1989, Austin, Travis County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 15 Jul 2023, Austin, Travis County, Texas Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 34 years)
    Family ID F9612  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 31 Oct 2007 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 20 Sep 1945 - Darby, Delaware County, Pennsylvania Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 10 Jul 2007 - Rockport, Aransas County, Texas Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Photos
    _Falk, Walter S.
    _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
    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 
    1. [S674] Tisdale, Evon McLemore-Family Member, Correspondence and Interviews.