Short answers, pulled from the story.
Walter Marty Schirra Jr. was born on the 12th of March 1923 in Hackensack, New Jersey. He grew up in Oradell, New Jersey after his family history stretched back to the Italian-speaking village of Loco in Ticino, Switzerland.
Wally Schirra flew in space three times aboard Sigma 7 during Project Mercury, Gemini 6A, and Apollo 7. His first flight occurred on the 3rd of October 1962 and his final mission concluded with a landing southeast of Bermuda on the 22nd of October 1968.
Schirra chose not to activate his rocket-powered ejection seats when engines shut down less than two seconds after ignition on December 12. This decision saved him and pilot Tom Stafford from probable injuries and prevented further delay or cancellation of the mission which successfully launched on December 15.
Schirra became sick with a head cold during the mission and passed it to Donn F. Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham. He proposed to Mission Control that they would not wear their helmets during reentry due to anticipated issues with congestion inside of sealed spacesuits despite requests from Chris Kraft and Deke Slayton.
Wally Schirra died on the 3rd of May 2007 of a heart attack while undergoing treatment for abdominal cancer at Scripps Green Hospital in San Diego California. His ashes were committed to the sea on the 11th of February 2008 following a memorial service held on May 22 at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in California.