Walter P. Gould

Walter P. Gould, 89, of Wakefield, RI died peacefully at his home on Friday November 21 surrounded by his loving family. He was the husband of the late Janet Lloyd Gould. Born in North Adams, Massachusetts, he was the son of the late Phillip and Yvonne (Fournier) Gould. He is survived by a daughter, Susan Manchester and husband John of Wakefield; and a son Phillip Gould and wife Carol of Coventry, CT; and three granddaughters: Erica and Hallie Manchester and Emma Gould. He was the older brother of Bruce Gould of Jacksonville, FL. Walter grew up in the Berkshire Hills of Massachusetts and attended Drury High School. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps, serving as a nose-gunner and navigator on B-24 bombers, achieving the rank of Sargent. Following the end of World War II, he enrolled at the University of Massachusetts where he received his bachelor’s degree in forestry. After earning his master’s degree from The Yale School of Forestry, Walter took a job with the Brown Company as a forester in the western mountains of Maine, where he met Janet, his wife of 57 years. Immediately after the wedding, he joined the faculty at the University of Rhode Island where he taught forestry and wildlife for 32 years. While at URI, he earned his PhD in Forest Biology from Syracuse. Upon retirement, he was a consulting forester with his friend Jim for over 20 years. Walter was an avid outdoorsman, spending much of his free time hunting and fishing at his camp in Langtown, Maine with his friend Charlie. He also took advantage of sabbaticals, spending time at Huntington Forest in the Adirondacks while performing his doctoral research on the witch-hobble plant. He also spent a year in Newfoundland studying moose, as well as a summer in the Yukon Territory doing research with the Arctic Institute. Walter was an active member of the Society of American Foresters. Walter was known for his dry sense of humor, his generosity, his mild-mannered and accommodating personality, and his love of family, including dogs. He sincerely appreciated the loving care he received in his later years. A memorial service, will be held at Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia Street, Wakefield, RI on Saturday December 6 at 11:30 AM. Visiting hours are respectfully omitted. A reception will follow at Rose Hill Country Club, 222 Rose Hill Road, Wakefield. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to South County Quality Care (14 Woodruff Ave, Suite 12, Narragansett, RI 02882) or the Nature Conservancy (4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203-1606).