Lucy K. Tucholski, 95, formerly of Roslyn Heights, died on Feb. 3, 2000. Wife of the late Leon. Sister-in-law of John E. Aunt of many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews.

April 20, 1916 - Feb. 6, 2000

Philip F. Walters died on Feb. 6, 2000 at the age of 83. For the past eight years he had been a resident of Homosassa, FL. Before that he and his family lived in Manhasset where Phil ran a car dealership - Walter Donaldson VW-Audi of Hicksville - and sailed on LI Sound. He grew up in Manhasset and in his late teens began in midget racing at tracks on LI. He used a pseudonym - Ted Tappett - so his parents wouldn't know he was racing. In January of 1942, early in WWII, he joined the Army Air Corps as a transport and glider pilot. He flew a Waco CG-4A glider in the disastrous invasion of Holland, which the Germans knew of in advance, and which prolonged the war. He safely landed his troops but was himself wounded and taken prisoner. In a German hospital he lost a kidney and half a lung. He finished WWII with The Air Medal, a Purple Heart, seven Bronze Stars and the rank of Flight Officer.

After the war he went back to racing in Kurtis Offenhauser midgets at The Polo Grounds, Islip Speedway and Freeport, where racer Dan Gurney was a big fan. Later he drove stock cars and posted a record number of wins in USSCRC events, at places like Agawam, Deer Park, Hinchcliff and Cherry Park. In addition to racing, he had a business - Frick-Tappet Motors, in partnership with Bill Frick - which did race car preparation and built the well-known Fordillac performance cars (Cadillac engine in Ford chassis). In 1949, he made the acquaintance of Briggs Cunningham and began driving for him. Shortly after, he became the general manager of the Cunningham Car Company, which built the first postwar American cars to compete at the Le Mans 24-hour race.

Though the team would not hear the Star Spangled Banner played after the race, they did record two 3rd place finishes, both driven by Phil Walters. With co-driver John Fitch, Walters also won the Sebring 12-hour race against the European factory teams. The team contested the national SCCA race series in the US and here Phil won nearly every race he entered, including the Watkins Glen Grand Prix (where his name was recently inscribed into the Walk of Fame). He drove Cunningham, OSCA, Porsche, Cooper, Ferrari and Jaguar sports cars, on road courses from coast to coast in the US and in Europe. His ability brought him an offer to drive a Formula One car for Ferrari. However, just before joining the team he was the first to witness the accident at the 1955 Le Mans in which a car went into the crowd and killed 85 spectators. He said "I had gotten used to drivers killing each other, but I could not adjust to drivers killing spectators," and left the sport. Had he stayed in it, he might have been the World Champion.

After motor racing, he took up sailboat racing and became an accomplished sailor, as a member of Sagamore Yacht Club of Oyster Bay. With his large family as crew, he won the very competitive Block Island Regatta, sailing a Peterson 34.

Phil leaves his wife of 51 years, Sheila, his children Linda A Grimes of Haddonfield, NJ, Dr. Philip F. Walters of Plainview, Deborah J. Reyman of Armonk, NY, Virginia E. Lewis of St. James, Frederick A. Walters of the Bronx and Daniel M. Walters of Homosassa, FL, along with a brother, eight grandchildren and hundreds of friends in motor racing and sailing.

Funeral services will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 at Wilder Fountain Funeral Home, Homosassa Springs, FL (352-628-3344) with Fr. Russell Griffin officiating. Interment will be at 10:30 a.m. at Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, FL, with military honors conducted by American Legion - Blanton Thompson Post #155. Memorials may be made to Hospice of Citrus County, Lecantro, FL.

Anne J. (Nancy) Kurowski, of Albertson, died on Feb. 9, 2000. Wife of Frank. Mother of Mary Beth Thornhill (Gary) and Anne Mattia (Robert). Grandmother of Shannon, Ryan, Annie, Colleen, Marie, Theresa and Robert. Daughter of Anna and the late Myles Lambert. Sister of Mary Lynch and Myles Lambert. Arrangements were made by the Weigand Bros. Funeral Home, Williston Park. Funeral Mass at St. Aidan's RC Church. Interment Holy Rood Cemetery. Contributions can be made to the Arthritis Foundation LI Chapter, 501 Walt Whitman Rd., Melville, NY 11747.