Mackinac Bridge Authority

Spanning the Straits of Mackinac since 1957

Mackinac Bridge Authority mourns the passing of Sen. Walter North

Posted on November 3rd, 2014

Flags will fly at half-staff Wednesday at the Mackinac Bridge in honor of former Mackinac Bridge Authority comptroller and executive secretary Sen. Walter North, who died Friday, Oct. 31.

North began 27 years of service to the Mackinac Bridge Authority as comptroller in 1966. In 1982, he was named executive secretary of the authority, a role he served until 1993. He was elected to the Michigan Senate in 1994, serving the 37th District for two terms until 2002. His district included five counties north of the Mackinac Bridge and nine in the Lower Peninsula.

“During his long tenure, Walt was responsible for the financial, as well as the engineering, well-being of this Michigan icon,” said MBA Board Chairman William H. Gnodtke. “His work and commitment is borne out still today in the Mackinac Bridge’s enduring stability.”

Services for North will be at the St. Ignace United Methodist Church, with visitation on Tuesday, Nov. 4, from 4 to 7 p.m., and funeral service on Wednesday, Nov. 5, at 11 a.m. Interment will be at Lakeside Cemetery in St. Ignace in a family plot, overlooking the Mackinac Bridge.

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