Don W. Walker

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Walker, Don W. 78, entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Wednesday, November 18, after a brief illness. Don was born in Big Canyon, OK to Tom and Juanita Walker. When he was 4, he moved with his parents and sister to Morenci, AZ where he grew up and graduated high school. After graduating from Abilene Christian College with a degree in psychology, he was drafted into the US Army and stationed in Fort Bliss, TX where his last assignment was with the HOMRO Research Unit. He started his career with Sperry Flight Systems as a recruiter and then retired as an HR Manager from Prudential Insurance Company after stints in Scottsdale and Phoenix, AZ and Plymouth, MN. Being an active, energetic person, Don wanted to stay busy after retirement so he had three more 'careers' before his death. He was an HR consultant for a year before he decided he didn't want to travel every week, so his next career was driving a school bus for seven years while in MN. He was loved and adored by the children and their parents who were grateful that Don safely transported their children daily. It was after his bus-driving days that Don and Kathy returned to Arizona and where Don started his third career. For the past nine years he worked at the Artesano community as a guard. He loved his "residents" and always enjoyed keeping them safe, as well as sharing a wave and a laugh with them. Don was known to all as a man of deep faith, character and wit. He was filled with joy and contentment and was such a blessing to all he came to know. He will be deeply and profoundly missed by Kathy, his devoted wife of 39 years, his beloved daughter Rebecca Forzano (Mike), his dear sister Betty Walker. In addition, he will be profoundly missed by his sister-in-law Mary Ray (Garold) and brother-in-law John Kemppainen (Roseanne), the girls he stepped in as a father figure after their father passed away, Abigail and Melissa Sutton, and many more family and friends. A memorial service will be held Friday, December 4, 2015, at 11:00 am at Messinger Mortuary, 8555 E. Pinnacle Peak Road, in Scottsdale, AZ. Private interment with military honors will be conducted at the National Memorial Cemetery on Pinnacle Peak Road in Phoenix, AZ.

Published on December 1, 2015