Jimmy Walker

Jimmy "Granddad" Walker passed away on October 5, 2024, at the age of 86 and will be deeply missed especially by his wife, children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws and friends. Jimmy is survived by his wife of 64 years "Bonnie Walker", two children, Jeannie Sorgen (husband Stephen Sorgen) living in Tuscola, Texas and Mack Walker living in Shep, Texas, six grandchildren, Amber Poe in Ogden, Utah, Erica Cavazos in Abilene, Texas, Amanda Imber (husband JR Imber) in Austin, Texas, Travis Walker (wife Kristin Walker) in Kerrville, Texas, Kaylee Curtis (husband James Curtis) in Breckenridge, Texas and Russell Walker in Breckenridge, Texas, 9 very special great grandchildren. 

Jimmy was born on February 27, 1938, in Winters, Texas. He is the son of Richard Travis Walker and Nellie Jane Self Walker, who were hard working farmers and members of the Church of Christ in Wingate, Texas. He was the 5th child out of 6 born to his parents, Cleo, Lee Roy, Don, Russell, Jimmy Mack and Julie Ann, he is survived by his younger sister Julie Ann McCrain (husband John) of Fresno, California. Jimmy and Ann always had a very special relationship, lots of stories to be told about their lifetime of adventures and families history/experiences. Jimmy loved and was loved by his many nieces and nephews; they always held a special place in his heart. 

Jimmy at the age of 16 moved to Pinehurst, Idaho with his mother, father and Julie Ann. After finishing School, he went to work at the Bunker Hill Mine in Idaho where his father, brother and cousin were working. Bunker Hill mined lead, silver and zinc. Jimmy said he and other workers would ride in a small cage train for hours into the mountain to the work site where he would work a few hours and then travel in the cage train to exit the mine at the end of his 12-hour shift. in 1958, Jimmy was introduced to a cute little red head by Jimmy's brother "Lee Roy Walker", wife "Dorothy Walker" while they were playing cards with Bonnie's mother and stepfather. Jimmy and Bonnie's first date was a picnic at Look Out Pass on the Idaho/Montana border in a quaint little park. Bonnie won Jimmy's heart by cooking him fried chicken, potato salad and a Boston Cream Pie. Jimmy worked night shifts at Bunker Hill Mine which meant their dates were mostly in the middle of the day. On May 1, 1960, Bunker Hill Mines went on strike, the Walker family decided that it was time to return to Texas and Bonnie and Jimmy married May 2, 1960, in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho. The family moved to Shep, Texas, May 22, 1960, and lived on the same farm that Bonnie and Jimmy have lived on for the past 50 plus years. They were married 64 years at the time of Jimmy's death. In July of 1960, Jimmy was drafted into the army. Jimmy served 2 years in the army and was honorably discharged. In 1963, Jimmy, Bonnie, Jeannie and Mack moved to Puyallup, Washington. Jimmy worked 1.5 years at the Smelter in Tacoma, Washington. He left the Smelter position and went to work for the Puget Sound US Navy yard at Bremerton, Washington where he worked until 1973 as certified sandblaster. The Puget Sound US Navy Shipyard is the Pacific Northwest's largest Navel shore facility. The facility did maintenance and repairs to Naval Ships and Submarines. Jimmy often told the story of working inside a submarine and accidentally sandblasting himself inside, he didn't panic because the shipyard had a system that accounted for every employee at the end of every work shift, to say the least, he was not claustrophobic. In 1973, Jimmy had a traumatic back injury and was unable to work for over 1 year, times were tough, and Jimmy and Bonnie made the decision to move back to Texas. In 1974, Jimmy went to work for Dry Manufacturing in Winter's Texas where he was the supervisor of the maintenance department. He retired from Dry Manufacturing in 1999. From 1999 until 2004, he worked as the Maintenance Supervisor at the North Runnels Hospital in Winters, Texas. He officially retired in 2004.

Jimmy loved motorcycles; he rode dirt bikes with his family while living in Washington and after moving back to Texas, he and Bonnie made many cross-country trips on their Honda Goldwing. He later developed a new love for camping, purchasing a fifth wheel camper, he and Bonnie headed to the mountains of Colorado as often as they could, Durango, Colorado and the surrounding area was one of their favorite areas to camp. However, the trips he loved most were the trips when he and Bonnie would take a couple of grandchildren and head to the mountains, those were special trips and will always be remembered by his grandchildren. Kaylee & Amanda often laugh about a camping trip they took with Granny and Granddad, asking Granddad to play the Statler Bros. song "Flowers On The Wall" over and over and singing it out loud with their precious granddad singing and chuckling. He loved his grandchildren; he was Santa at Christmas all dressed up in his Santa Suite until one Christmas Amber said "Santa looks like Granddad", he was the bucking bronco that Amber and Erica loved to ride. Travis was with his Granddad holding his hand when he took his last breath, he loved his Granddad, and his granddad loved him with all his heart.  

On Jimmy's 70th birthday, Jimmy and Bonnie went to Ambergris Caye, Belize with Jeannie and Steve to celebrate this monumental birthday. It was his first time to snorkel in the ocean, he was mesmerized by the fish, nurse sharks and rays, he told his daughter, "next time I snorkel, I want to make sure I have my own fins so that they fit properly", he went bay fishing with Jeannie catching a snapper with every cast, he had a smile from ear to ear, Jimmy loved new experiences and this was one he would talk about for years. Over the next few years, Bonnie and Jimmy continued to travel to Colorado with their camper enjoying every trip. His last two big trips were cruises, he and Bonnie departed from Seattle, Washington and traveled the inside passage to Alaska. Dad loved that trip so much that he had to do it one more time. 

Jimmy was a member of the Church of Christ in Ballinger, Texas. He was a devout Christian who had a strong and unwavering faith in Jesus Christ and strived to live his life according to his teachings. He believed that salvation came from accepting Jesus Christ as his savior. He prioritized the Holy Bible as the ultimate authority in the way he was to live his life. Prayer, worship and reading the Holy Bible were vital rituals practiced by Jimmy which allowed him to communicate and show his gratitude to God for sending his only son to earth and dying on the cross for his sins so that he would have a place in Heaven. Above all things, Jimmy was a devout Christian. 

Although there will be an empty chair at the table and a house full of memories that will remind us of him, we can find comfort knowing that he is now at peace, pain free, no longer feeling sadness due to being separated from his family and with the Lord in Heaven. Amen. 

Service for Jimmy will be at 11:00 AM on November 2, 2024 at Church of Christ of Winters in Winters, Texas. Interment will follow at Shep Cemetery in Shep, Texas.