QUECHEE — Walter Puls, a 42-year-old Hartford resident, was just a mile and a half away from his family’s home on Williams Lane when his 2021 Toyota Truck partially left Red Barn Road and collided with a tree last Friday night.
He died in the single-vehicle crash, leaving behind his wife Hilary Puls and their three children.
The Pulses celebrated their 15th anniversary in July. The two often enjoyed taking vacations with their kids, his obituary said.
Hilary Puls declined to speak with the Valley News for this story.
“He loved his family more than anything in this world — every decision he made, every risk he took, every late-night conversation was rooted in wanting the very best for them,” Puls’ friend Alex Hussain wrote in a statement in a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for funeral expenses and provide the Puls family a financial cushion.
Hussain declined to speak to the Valley News for this story, but in his GoFundMe post he described himself as Puls’ best friend of nearly 30 years.
“We met in middle school, built countless memories together, started businesses, traveled the world, and shared so many firsts — first jobs, first weddings, first kids. Walter wasn’t just my friend; he was my brother,” he wrote.
“He had a way of making everyone feel welcome, of turning ordinary days into adventures, and of leaving you with stories you’d laugh about for years,” Hussain continued. “His curiosity, his humor, and his boundless heart made him unforgettable to everyone who knew him.”
Born in Venezuela on May 25, 1983, Puls earned a bachelor’s degree in operations management from the University of Miami Herbert Business School in 2005 and a master’s degree in manufacturing engineering from Boston University in 2010, according to his LinkedIn profile.
From 2021, Puls worked as a partner and head of sales at TheAmazingRecruiter, a recruiting agency that Hilary Puls founded in 2015.
Puls spent his free time coaching baseball and soccer youth teams in Hartford. He also enjoyed fishing, playing golf, making bread and building computers.
He “could fix anything,” his obituary said.
Police have not yet determined the cause of the Friday night crash. An autopsy report is still underway, Hartford Police Acting Lt. William Furnari said.
Hartford police responded to an iPhone crash notification at roughly 9:30 p.m. Friday in the area of 317 Red Barn Road where they found Puls and his truck.
Crash detection notifications are a feature of the iPhone 14 and later models with iOS 16 and above, as well as Apple Watches.
The devices’ censors are programmed to detect severe crashes including front-impact, side-impact, rear-end collisions and rollovers, according to Apple’s website.
After a 30 second countdown, the device alerts emergency services.
The Hartford Police Department has received several false alarms in the past when people have accidentally left their phone on the top of their car, Furnari said.
“It’s a great feature in iPhones though because on certain roads in our town we wouldn’t get there as quickly,” he added.
As of Thursday the fundraiser for the Puls family had surpassed its $20,000 goal. Those who would like to contribute can visit gofundme.com/f/loving-support-for-the-family-of-walter-puls.
