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Date published: 12/11/2009
Walter F. Klotz Sr.
Walter Frederick Klotz Sr. of Colonial Beach passed away Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009, three days shy of his 100th birthday. Mr. Klotz was the last surviving founder of the Colonial Beach Rescue Squad and was known for his quick wit and humor. He was known to many as the proprietor of the Gem 5 & 10 store in Colonial Beach, which he owned and operated for over 25 years. Mr. Klotz was born Dec. 11, 1909, in Washington, D.C., to Lena and William Henry Klotz, and spent several years of his youth in Colonial Beach before returning to Washington. He worked numerous jobs prior to and during the Great Depression, including working as a printer's assistant, a candy maker, a meat cutter and Safeway store manager before joining the Washington Rapid Transit Co. in 1931, where he worked with his brother, William, driving buses and streetcars. After moving to Colonial Beach for good in 1945, Mr. Klotz managed the King Cotton Hotel, and owned and operated the Playland Novelty Store and the Willow Lunch restaurant on the boardwalk. In 1949, he purchased Gem 5 & 10, known to townspeople and vacationers as the store with the largest variety of "penny candy" in the region. He operated there until his retirement in 1975. He also served as town magistrate in Colonial Beach for six years. He was preceded in death by his wife of 71 years, Marguerite. He is survived by his daughter, Margie Staples and her husband, Mitchell, of Colonial Beach; son Walter F. Klotz Jr. and his wife, Joan, of King George County; grandchildren Rick Frank and his wife, Kellie, and Kathy Staples, all of Fredericksburg, and Mitchell Staples Jr. of Woodbridge; great-grandchildren Sarah Frank and Emily Frank of Fredericksburg; and several nieces and nephews. A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 14, at Nash & Slaw Funeral Home, Colonial Beach. Interment will follow at Meadow-Brooke Memorial Gardens (formerly Historyland Memorial Park) in King George. The family will receive friends Monday from 10 a.m. until the start of the funeral. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Colonial Beach Rescue Squad, 225 Dennison St., Colonial Beach, Va. 22443. Online guest book is available at nashandslawfh.com.
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