Walter has spent his entire career at LHSC, growing from Housekeeper to nationally certified Millwright with decades of expertise.
July 7, 2026
On the other side of every wall and the other end of every light switch at London Health Sciences Centre there’s the result of someone’s hard work. Someone who checks in on the steam pipes behind those walls, or the lightbulb connected to that switch. One of those people is Walter, a Millwright at LHSC and employee since 1980.
“In 1980 when my family needed a little help to make ends meet, my mom connected me to Housekeeping at LHSC where she had worked at the old South Street location for 21 years. Just like that, I was 16, working weekends and making an honest living,” describes Walter.
When Walter started by sweeping floors, he didn’t expect his housekeeping job to turn into an entire career. Yet over forty-six years, Walter worked tirelessly to become the nationally certified Millwright he is today, with one of the longest Facilities tenures at LHSC.
Becoming a Millwright
“My opportunity with Housekeeping helped me realize cleaning wasn’t what I wanted to do forever. So, I started night classes at Fanshawe College during my eight years with housekeeping and portering to become a mechanic.”
Once Walter started on his mechanics path, he was hooked. His mentors Vince and Marv helped build his skills, guiding Walter through electrical and welding fixes and giving him every opportunity to shadow their work.
“Wherever they went, I went. I got to watch how they kept everything going and be a part of every odd job like welding and make custom pieces for repairs and replacements.”
Walter has always been so passionate about his mechanical and Millwright work, he became nationally certified without even realizing it.
“After all my coursework, I had to write the big exam. Three hours long, 150 multiple choice questions with a 60 per cent to pass. I got like 84 per cent and the evaluator says, ‘Oh, you got your red seal.’ I said, ‘What's a red seal?’ and she explained to me that if you get over 80, your license is good for all of Canada.”
Making a difference every day
One of the first things Walter ever learned how to fix was the food carts.
With over 120 food carts used to deliver thousands of meals every day, having someone behind-the-scenes like Walter is crucial. While responsibilities have ebbed and flowed between departments or contract work, Walter’s knowledge of long-time fixes ensures his department can pick up much-needed skills.
“My supervisor let me know that we were taking over repair for the food carts again, which we hadn’t done in years. He asked me if knew how to fix them. I laughed and said, ‘I hope so, I've been doing them since 1989!’ After 37 years, I can fix those carts with my eyes closed.”
Thanks to Walter’s incredible tenure, his colleagues can take on necessary repairs that help ensure every patient receives their meals!
Great people. Great repairs.
To date, Walter has fixed surgical lights and sterilizing equipment, made brackets for wall mounts, repaired cooling towers and done countless rounds of preventative maintenance so crucial equipment keeps running smoothly for longer.
Thirty years ago, he even made a custom bit on the lathe to remove a stuck screw from a patient's bone!
“That was the craziest call I ever had. I was allowed to gown, glove and go right into the operating room to see this screw and make a custom bit to ensure the surgeon could remove it!”
While there’s no doubt Walter is passionate everything he’s made and fixed, his favourite part of the job is the people.
“Back in the 1980s I'd change the lights, hundreds, perhaps thousands of them because every room's got a light. From the president's office to the janitor's closet, to the OR, the ER, and the delivery room and the morgue, you get to meet so many people. Nurses, Doctors, porters, clerks and housekeepers would see me in the hallway and go ‘there's the light man’. It was incredible getting to meet so many people. That’s still the best part of my job, all the different kinds of people I get to talk with as I go about my day.”
The people are what made Walter decide to stay at LHSC. Once he was a red seal Millwright, he had to wait a few years before a position opened. Although he stayed mechanic for a little longer, he just couldn’t leave all his memories and great relationships behind. LHSC had become Walter’s second home.
Walter's legacy
By sticking around, Walter reached goals he’d never envisioned as a teen, like seeing generations of his family thrive as LHSC employees, including his daughter becoming a family doctor and his son-in-law becoming a urologist.
“I used to bring my daughter to visit the machine shop as a little girl and all these years later, she was able to do her medical school clerkship here. It’s been a joy of my life getting to see her grow her career with experience at LHSC and watch her become a family doctor and teacher at the medical school in Windsor!”
Although he retired on June 30, 2026, Walter’s knowledge of LHSC’s inner workings and each of his fixes remain crucial to the LHSC we know today.
As long as there are surgeries happening under special lights and hundreds of meal-trays making their way to patients on special food carts, Walter and Facilities Management will always be a vital part of ensuring LHSC runs smoothly.
We thank Walter for every repair, lightbulb change, kind conversation and piece of mentorship advice he’s provided throughout his tenure.
Today, while expert staff like Walter finish their careers at LHSC, you can start yours. While you might not be long-standing enough to be “part of the furniture,” as Walter jokes, you can take on a seat that matters by applying for the new LHSC board or by visiting our careers page.