Wangerin was born in
Portland, Oregon, where his father was a
Lutheran pastor. He was the oldest of seven children. The family moved often, so Walter grew up in various locations including Shelton, Washington, Chicago, Illinois, Grand Forks, North Dakota, Edmonton, Alberta, Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1968, he attained an
M.A. in
English literature from
Miami University,
Oxford, Ohio. He went on to study at
Concordia Seminary and
Christ Seminary-Seminex, both in
St. Louis, Missouri. He attained his
M.Div. from the latter in 1976. From 1970 to 1991, Wangerin taught English at the
University of Evansville, Indiana. From 1977 to 1985, he was the pastor of Evansville's Grace Lutheran Church. While in Evansville he wrote a weekly column for
The Evansville Press and hosted an evening radio show on
WNIN-FM. He was a professor at
Valparaiso University,
Valparaiso, Indiana since 1991, where he taught literature, theology, and creative writing, and was writer-in-residence. Wangerin was honored in 2009 by being selected one of Valpo's 150 Most Influential Persons. Wangerin is the author of over thirty novels, numerous children's books, and a handful of plays, and he has received several awards for his short stories and essays. He has been a college professor, a radio announcer, a book reviewer, and a pastor of a Lutheran church. He also participated in cultural ceremonies such as a
Lakota Sun-Dance. Most of his writing is religious, primarily giving theological guidance on subjects such as
marriage,
meditation,
parenting, and
grieving. Other religious books concern the events in the
Bible. Wangerin died on August 5, 2021. ==Awards==