Walter Jr. was orphaned after the death of his father. His oldest brother, Roy Benejah Proffitt, was appointed guardian and moved with his family into the Reagan House to care for Walter and his sister Ruth. Ruth was later taken to Chestnut Hill to live with Shell and Fannie (Bush) Clevenger. Walter, Jr. and Ruth were taken to court by their brothers, Buel and Patrick, in order to break their father's will and sell the house and farm before Walter and Ruth were 21 years of age. The older children of Walter, Sr. had already sold their share in the property for $500.00 each. Buel & Pat owned the Reagan property for several years.
source: Court documents
Walter was a steamfitter by trade & worked for Tennessee Valley Authority for over 25 years. He retired from TVA in 1980. Many of his years with TVA were in supervisory/Superintendent positions. Walter, Jr. served in World War II, in the Pacific. He joined the U.S. Navy soon after Pearl Harbor was bombed.
