McCook and Nebraska lost another of its great spokesmen with the passing of Walt Sehnert last week. And up until the end, his mind and his spirit were just as strong as ever
He also continued to possess a strong love of his community, a tremendous love of entertaining, and a profound love for his family and friends.
I had the privilege of visiting Walt occasionally up until a few weeks ago. While I have trouble remembering what I did yesterday, Walt could recall people, events, conversations from decades ago. He could easily fall into a story about the most memorable names in McCook’s history, many who have now passed, just as easily as tell a tale about last week. Quite simply, he was a master storyteller.
But it wasn’t just his ability to keep up his end of the conversation by telling a good story. It was his genuine interest in others that made him such an integral member of the community.
So as I look back fondly on my chats with Walt and conversations with others about Walt, here are just a few things I gleaned from him, even though Walt would argue that he learned more from others:
- Stay Curious
Whenever you visited with Walt, he usually asked more questions than he answered. Sure, he loved telling stories, but he gleaned information for those stories from everyone he talked to, everything he read, and everything he listened to.
- Be Genuinely Interested in Others
There was rarely a conversation that didn’t involve Walt asking what my kids were up to, how an event had been received, or how the high school teams were doing.
And no recent visit was complete without asking how the city’s pool project was coming along. He knew he wasn’t going to be around when it was built. He knew he would never swim in it himself. But he knew it was important to the community, to families, to young people and he was genuinely interested in how it was progressing.
Especially once he was no longer able to venture out on his own any longer, he really wanted to know what was going on in the community.
- Be Willing To Try Something Different
Most people know that Walt was a baker, opening his bakery to McCook in 1957 and operating it until his son, Matt, and Shelly took it over in 1990. But did you know that Walt also dabbled as a travel agent?
There are several hours of interviews with Walt waiting to be edited for the yet-to-be-broadcast podcast, “Before They Forget: Uncommon Stories from the Buffalo Commons.”
Recorded last year with his daughter Susan at his side - both to prompt and to confirm the stories- Walt quickly glossed over his time as a travel agent. After being redirected back to the subject, he confirmed that he had sold the bakery, became a travel agent and then eventually resumed his role back at the bakery.
- Be Flexible
While interviewing Walt and John Hubert for the McCook Rotary’s 100th anniversary newspaper supplement in February, both men noted that when they joined the club, only men were invited to be members. The unofficial reason women weren’t allowed was because the member’s wives didn’t want them “mingling” with the opposite gender.
But as Walt said, allowing women was a good thing; otherwise, the club would likely not exist today - although he did note that the types of jokes became a bit tamer when women joined.
- Travel, Travel, Travel
While he was still physically able, Walt loved to travel. It was how you learned things about yourself and about others, how you learned about your own community and about other communities. Sure, it was important to love your own community, but he knew that you could make it better by learning from others.
- Keep Learning
To get an extra use out of their caps and gowns, I took a group of 2022 McCook High School graduates to see Walt at Kinship Point the day before their graduation ceremony in May. After congratulating them on completing their high school career, Walt asked each and every one of them what they planned to do next to further their education, commenting that even though you may graduate, you should never stop learning.
- Get Involved.
Simply read Walt’s obituary and you can see how involved he was in the community. You you can be president of a club or just be active in its’ activities. Maybe you serve on the city council or volunteer for civic committees. Perhaps you help organize an event or you just show up and enjoy it. They are all great ways of getting involved in your community, making it an even better place to call home.
Perhaps it is fitting that Walt passed just after the 25th annual Buffalo Commons Storytelling and Music Festival in McCook. He was part of its creation and its success over the years. While he couldn’t attend any of the events in person this year, I guarantee that he followed the storytelling activities through pictures in the paper and in-person visits from a few of the performers. He was a man of many stories, both about him and that he told.
Along with the hours recorded for the podcast, Walt’s family has tried to record many of his stories over the years. But there never is - and never will be - enough time to learn everything from a man with so many stories and so much to share.
And that is just one reason why Walt will have such a long-lasting influence on the community: Walt may have made his living because of what he did in the bakery, but he made his impact because of what he did for the community.
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The McCook Community Foundation Fund was the recipient of the Sehnert’s generosity many times over the years. Most recently, MCFF led the Sehnert Challenge, which honored Walt and Jean Sehnert, as well as their love of arts and culture. Walt and Jean loved entertaining others and loved being entertained, which is was why the campaign was so successful,
The funds raised as part of the Sehnert Challenge will benefit the community in the form of grants for arts and culture, ensuring that Walt and Jean Sehnert’s legacy will continue generations to come,
