Walter S Marriott, 72, of Johnston, RI (formerly Lincoln) passed suddenly on Friday, November 15, 2019.
He was the loving husband of Blanche (Gravel) Marriott, father of Kenneth Marriott of Cranston, RI, father-in-law of Kristy (Volk) Marriott, and "Grimpy" to grandchildren Avery and Adam Marriott. He was the son of the late Walter Marriott and Marion (Sharples) Marriott.

Walt was a lifelong resident of Lincoln RI until he and his wife retired to their dream home in Johnston in 2018. They just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Walt grew up in the Saylesville section of Lincoln and followed in his father’s footsteps by joining the volunteer fire department at age 16. Keeping the family tradition, his son Kenneth joined the Saylesville Volunteer FD, and is now a Lieutenant on the Warwick FD. Walt served for 42 years on Saylesville, working his way up to Captain, and retiring in 2007 after a serious injury.

Following 4 years of service in the US Air Force (1968 – 1972), he worked for the Lincoln Water Commission and completed his college education with a Bachelor of Science degree from Bryant College. By the mid-1980s, his knack for building and repairing things lured him to start his own successful contracting business. There wasn’t much he couldn’t do when it came to small fixit jobs. But his claim to fame was getting a call from the Governor to come fix his toilet late one night! Even after retirement, you could usually find him puttering away in his workshop or helping a friend with a project. It always involved a lot of swearing, sometimes a little duct tape and a bungee cord, but he got the job done.

Walt will be missed by his firefighter friends and so many people he helped through the years, but most of all by his grandchildren who truly loved their "Grimpy" and all the funny things he said and did.

Calling hours will be Wednesday, November 20 from 4-7 pm at Keefe Funeral Home, 5 Higginson Ave, Lincoln RI. Burial will be Thursday at the Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Exeter. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations be made to "The Saylesville F.F. Association", P.O. Box 1, Lincoln, RI 02865. The funds will be used to purchase a piece of equipment in Walt's memory.