Walt L. "Sop" Sopkowicz

Wallace (Walt) L. Sopkowicz (Sop), 79, of Kemmerer, Wyoming, passed away on March 27, 2026, as result of complications related to a service-connected disease at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Pocatello, Idaho. Born November 29, 1946, in Laona, Wisconsin, to Bruce Frank Sopkowicz and Janice Elaine Heisel.

Walt grew up in the lumber and farming communities of Armstrong Creek and Goodman, Wisconsin playing baseball and football when he wasn't working on his uncle's farm. He loved working on equipment and figuring it out, having interesting adventures on the backroads of Wisconsin between Goodman and Green Bay. After he served honorably in the Navy on river patrol boats in the Republic of Vietnam, he left Wisconsin, going West to Colorado, becoming an accomplished welder and heavy equipment mechanic at the coal mines on the western slope. He focused on providing for his children through some difficult economic times caused by overbearing government regulations and misguided government environmental impact decisions that resulted in working various blue-collar jobs in multiple locations. This included logging in Northwest Colorado, lumber, and pellet mill millwrighting in Northwest Montana, back to the coal mines in Northwest Colorado, and then the coal mines of Southwest Wyoming, meeting many good people along the way.

He provided well for his children, seeing them grow and be successful and fulfilled in their lives and along the way continued to grow himself, working on various pieces of equipment, always working to make it better and faster.

He is survived by his brother, Bruce (Kathy) of Hatley, Wisconsin; son, Walter (Jalin) of Idaho Falls, Idaho with grandchildren, Gabriel, Abigail, Tirzah, and Tamara; daughter, Casey (Keith) Cameron of Christchurch, New Zealand with grandchildren, Coco and Tane.

Sop was always passionate about what he believed in and had no problem challenging the people and ideas he viewed were wrong. He had strong patriotic beliefs as an American who served his country along with his brother, father, and all of his uncles. He was proud to see his son also serve his country. However, Sop also personally witnessed the people of this country turn on its own soldiers, who were just following the orders they were given, stemming from political agendas, observed greed, and the lust for control or power corrupted many individuals in management positions, as well as politicians, and shook his head at so many fellow Americans not understanding the core values and principles that had made America so great, asking that his final words be: This is not the country that I knew, loved, and lived in, and I died for.

No services are planned outside of having his government provided service marker placed at a time and place convenient to his family and select friends.