Walter Joseph Gajda Jr.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Walter Joseph Gajda Jr. passed away Saturday Jan 21 2023 in Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in Rahway NJ. He died of complications of a hospital acquired infection contracted at Mount Sinai Morningside in Manhattan after cardiac bypass surgery.

Walter was born on June 8 , 1942 in Adams. He grew up in North Adams MA and attended St. Joseph’s High School there. He credits the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, who provided eduction at St. Joseph’s High School, for encouraging him to attend University  of Notre Dame in South Bend Indiana, where he received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering.

From there, he earned a Master’s degree and Ph.D in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston. He then returned to the  University of Notre Dame as a professor of electrical engineering. Walter became Department Chairman of Electrical Engineering at the University of Missouri Rolla(now Missouri University of Science and Technology) in Rolla MO in 1986 and subsequently was promoted to the Chief Academic Officer(provost) of that institution.

He was a math whiz and inveterate traveler.

Walter was predeceased by his parents, Walter Joseph Gajda Sr.  and Helene Roy Gajda. He is survived by his wife Laura  and daughter Jacqueline of NYC, daughter Colleen Gajda of Vermont, and son Thomas Gajda of South Bend Indiana; sister Cheryl Gajda Westall of Williamstown MA, brother Thomas Gajda(Cathy) of Naples FL; nieces Nicole Westall(Daniel Trombley) Jackie Westall Draper(Mark)  Jamie Gajda Blair(John) and nephew Matthew Gajda (Britney Hampton) as well as a host of grandnieces, grandnephews, and cousins. Walt is also survived  by friends Joe Hibey, Robin and Patty Pickup and their children Nate, Jaiden  and Jasmine, Sister Maxyne Schneider, Steven Schaefer, David Hicks, Dorota and Natalia Hicks, Dorthy and David Harris, Niall Raithel-Owens, and all of Walt’s classmates and friends who sent cards and letters the past few months.  Special thanks to all the friends at Richmond University Medical Center for their support, and to Laura’s sister and brother in law Sandy and Sanford Kaiser for their love and kindness.

A celebration of life and internment will be held in May 25 2023  3:00 pm at St. Stanislaus Kostka in  Adams, MA. For info contact Laura Gajda 573-692-3054, lauragajda@charter.net.

Memorial gifts are requested to:

Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, 577 Carew St., Springfield, MA. 01104.