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Edward Walker Obituary
March 16, 1936 - January 3, 2017
Edward A. Walker, age 80, passed away on January 3rd, 2017 in Walnut Creek, from pneumonia.He was born in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin on March 16th, 1936 and spent his best childhood days bird watching, hunting with his dog Mike and having intellectual discussions with his uncle Ed on the family farm.
As an adult, he moved to California and embraced leftist politics, becoming a union organizer and later a professor of social science at Vista Community College.
Throughout his life, he always held a deep love of bird watching; a hobby that often took him around the globe in pursuit of his infamous "life list".
Often a loner in spirit, his desire for solitude was punctuated by a deep curiosity in those who crossed his path. He was a deep thinker who loved life's simple pleasures: a well-made plate of cheesy scalloped potatoes, a snoring dog on his lap in front of a fire, and making people laugh at the least expected moments.
He is survived by his dog Charlie, his son Zack and his ex-wife, Roberta. A private memorial service will be held at a future date. Donations can be made in Ed's honor to the Audubon Society.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Edward Walker
1 Entry
Bob Schildgen
March 7, 2017
Ed was a wonderful union brother, socialist, and environmentalist. It was a memorable experience to work with Ed when he was chief of the Peralta Federation of Teachers. We took a lawsuit all the way to the California Supreme Court that won tenure for a number of part-time teachers in the Peralta College Diistrict, and it ultimately led to better pay and benefits for all part-timeers. Ed was so dedicated that he took a very small salary. As a member of the union's executive council, I helped Ed negotiate a salary agreement with our office manager, who had joined a union herself and was asking (and won) wages much higher than Ed's. He also spearheaded the union's successful election as exclusive bargaining agent in the Peralta College District.
Ed inspired my career as an environmental writer simply by introducing me to Aldo Leopold's classic "Sand County Almanac." Like Ed, I was a Wisconsin boy, but I'd never even heard of Leopold, though while attending the University of Wisconsin I often romped in the arboretum that Leopold himself created without a clue about who he was. Leopold spoke to me about the environment in a way no other had.
We also enjoyed some funny times too, bantering about the quirks of Wisconsin farmers or going to baseball games. Ed was a fan of women as much as baseball, so he'd bring one of his ultra-powerful birding scopes to the game to check out the ladies in attendance. While peering through the scope in search of a beauty, he once actually missed a crushing home run and wondered what happened. I later had to taunt his use of that powerful ornithological optic by proclaiming that I could see the ants on the pitcher's mound with my cheap binoculars.
We worked together on some of his handyman projects, including fence repair at our own house. One day I got a fairly urgen call from Ed. He was in our neighborhood installing a window, and having trouble because he thought he could accomplish the task without an assistant. Of course I immediately went to help him, because that's exactly what he would have done.
He was fun to be with, but could be quite serious about the International Socialists, took me to a few of their meetings, and did his best to convert me to the cause. The last time I talked to Ed was last year at the Co-op Credit union. He was a bit shaky, but greeted my wife and I with same warm smile he had 40 years earlier. Rest in peace, dear Brother Walker.
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