Walter Shenko, 101, of Lenox, passed away Friday, December 19, 2025, at Berkshire Medical Center after a brief illness. He was born in Roanoke, Va., on April 2, 1924, son of Ukrainian immigrant David Shenko and Hungarian immigrant Eva Shenko. He attended local schools, enlisted in the Army, and was discharged in 1945.
Walter graduated from Miami University and worked for IBM as a computer programmer until his retirement in 1979. He and his partner William Johnson moved to the Berkshires full time to their home on Monument Valley Road in Great Barrington.
Well into his 90s, Walter played tennis, ushered at the Mahaiwe Theatre concerts, and did the Sunday New York Times crossword in ink. Walter was a kind and gentle person.
After Bill died in 2008, Walter moved to an independent living apartment at Kimball Farms. He is survived by a niece in Atlanta, Marilyn Steinberg, and his close friend Martha Katz of Great Barrington.
Walter’s remains will go to Tufts University for medical studies. There will be a gathering on Saturday, January 17, at Kimball Farms in Lenox from 4 to 6 p.m. Condolences may be made through the website of Birches-Roy Funeral Home.
