After father's death, daughters start 'Dad Rock Radio' show to share his music

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58)  -- Two local college students are taking to broadcasting their grief. The sister’s started a radio show ‘Dad Rock Radio’ to honor their father who died one year ago.

Sisters Jennifer and Natalie, AKA Nang, Walter host the radio show ‘Dad Rock Radio’ every Friday at Marquette University. The dynamic duo plays their dad’s favorite songs on the show, and also talk about memories with him too.

“This last song is one our dad was really fond of, which is the reason why we play it, it's called How Far is Heaven,” Jenn said to end their final broadcast of the semester Friday.

Their father, Steve Walter, died of a heart aneurysm last May, two weeks before Natalie’s high school graduation.

“The fact that he couldn't be there, that bothered me, but when that song came on I was like he's still here,” Natalie said.

The memories of their father’s love of music sparked the idea for the radio show, especially after looking through all of his music in their basement following his death. The sister’s started ‘Dad Rock Radio’ last September, four months after his death.

“I don't see any other way to get at this transition in our life as well as we have,” Jenn said. “We've just been so transparent about it and that's what we needed.”  

Since starting the radio show started, others who’ve lost loved ones have reached out to them, some have appeared as a guest on their show too.  

“Here with our show we try to focus on what we still have,” Jenn said. “We have all this music, we have all these people coming to us with stories.”

For Natalie, she says she hosting the show not only for her and Jenn but to show her dad how much she cared.

“I don't ever feel like I really got to tell him how much he meant to me. So I feel like in a way by doing this show, it's showing him appreciation,"  Natalie said. 

When I asked if she could say one last thing to her father, Natalie responded, “The last thing he said to me — I love you.”

Jenn is graduating from Marquette this year, and Natalie is a freshman at DePaul University. The sisters will continue their show at Natalie’s school in Chicago next semester. This summer, they’ll be doing podcasts on their Facebook


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