Byron Walter Wilder Jr.

Byron Walter “Walt” Wilder, Jr., of Port St. Joe, Florida, passed away peacefully on Monday, November 24, 2025, at his farm in Dalkeith, surrounded by the deep love of his family, the memories of lifelong friends, songs of praise and worship, and wrapped in the arms of his Lord and Savior.

To those who knew him, Walter Wilder was “a man to ride the river with.”

Born October 29, 1938, in the sawmill town of Shamrock, Florida, to Byron Walter “Hoss” Wilder, Sr. and Myrtice James Wilder, he moved with his family to the Oak Grove community of Port St. Joe in 1940. He graduated from Port St. Joe High School in 1956 and went on to attend the University of the South (Sewanee), where he excelled both academically and athletically, graduating in 1960. He returned to Port St. Joe, for good, in 1968 serving his community as an educator and community leader.

At the heart of Walter Wilder’s remarkable life was his 49-year marriage to Diana McKnight, the love of his life and the anchor of their family. Together they raised three children and built a home defined by loyalty, faith, humor, and unwavering support. As Walter dedicated himself to serving the people of Gulf County as Superintendent of Schools, Diana was his partner in every sense—his confidante, his encourager, and the steady strength behind his public service. Their marriage was a testament to commitment and love, and its influence continues to live on through their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. 

Walter devoted his professional life to the pursuit, protection, and advancement of education. After serving as Admissions Director at the University of the South and Headmaster at the Sewanee Military Academy, he returned home to Gulf County to become a teacher, coach, college professor, and ultimately principal at Port St. Joe High School. In 1976, the people of Gulf County elected him Superintendent of Schools, a role he would hold for five consecutive terms. Over 20 years of service (1976–1996), he became the longest-serving elected Superintendent in the history of Florida, leaving a legacy distinguished by stability, fairness, vision, and unwavering commitment to children.

He was an accomplished athlete. The Florida Sportswriters Association’s Most Outstanding Scholar Athlete (1B) in 1955, he was a four-year starter on Sewanee’s football team and a two-time inductee into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1960 he became a top prospect of the San Francisco Giants, playing in their Minor League system before choosing service and education over a career in professional baseball. He later served in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, taught and coached multiple sports, became an infamous men’s softball player and coach, and even refereed—briefly—for the Harlem Globetrotters (“the straight man,” as he proudly noted).

Walter was one of the South’s great outdoorsmen. He maintained a houseboat on the Brother’s River and fished and guided the Apalachicola River system extensively all his life, he was a champion dog trainer and quail hunter in Tennessee and built and ran a summer camp for boys on Blacks Island in St. Joe Bay (Camp Bali Hai).

Walter Wilder lived a life marked by dignity, humility, purpose, and consequence. He was steady, wise, gentle, and fiercely loyal. He dined in the White House, and was a confidant to Governors, Legislators and educators throughout Florida. He had a remarkable ability to lead and to make people feel seen and valued. He carried himself with quiet strength, lived with deep faith, and poured his heart into his family, his friends, and the community of Port St. Joe that he loved and served for 81 of his 87 years.

Walter Wilder is survived by his 3 children Steven Todd Wilder (Kimberley), Lesley Ann Weisgerber (Mark), and Byron Timothy Wilder (Tenesa); his grandchildren Matthew Nelson, Justus Wilder, Kaley Torres (JR), Walt Wilder (Ramsey), Nicholas Weisgerber (Catherine), Samuel Weisgerber (fiancé Amaya), Jackson Keillor, Jason Keillor (Autumn); and his great- grandchildren Matthew Jacob Nelson, Mila Jane Torres, Carolina Rylee Wilder, and Paige Morgan Keillor, his sister Patricia Hidalgo and 34 nieces and nephews.

Wilder was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 49 years, Diana McKnight Wilder (2010); infant daughter Toni Suzanne (1962); parents Byron Walter Wilder, Sr. (1981) and Myrtice James Wilder (1999); siblings Erma Louise (2013), Doris Irene (2022), Betty Ruth (2013), and James Henry (1997); and closest friends Gene Raffield (2000) and Harold Raffield (2025).

A memorial service celebrating his life, legacy, and faith will be held on Saturday, December 13, at 11:00 a.m. at Long Avenue Baptist Church in Port St. Joe, Florida, with visitation beginning at 10:00 a.m. 

Arrangements are entrusted to the caring staff of Comforter Funeral Home of Port St. Joe, Florida.