Howard Porter Walker

Howard Porter Walker. Born December 20, 1912, Howard Porter Walker was the son of Arizona pioneer, J.W. Walker, who built the first hotel in Phoenix. Howard spent most of his early years helping his father with various land projects and always retained a keen interest in Arizona's growth and development. As a youth, he attended the San Diego Military Academy in La Jolla, California and served at Thunderbird Field during WWII, in charge of aircraft maintenance. He married Ruthmary Smith in 1935. For many years, he was a grower of citrus, vegetables, strawberries and cotton. Later, he became a real estate broker, dealing in ranches and commercial property. Howard served for many years on the Cartwright District school board and was a board member of Arizona College of the Bible for more than 20 years. He also founded the Valley of the Sun school for special needs children. In 1951, he and Ruthmary bought the Kiser Ranch, 120 acres on Christopher Creek, near Payson. They renamed it Mountain Meadow Ranch. It was here the family spent summers and rented out rustic cabins to other families escaping the Valley heat. In 1962, a dramatic change took place in his life when he and Ruthmary committed their lives to Christ as their Saviour and Lord. It was at this time that they dedicated Mountain Meadow Ranch to the Lord for a camping and conference ministry to help others come to Christ, as they had, and grow in their faith. Howard and Ruthmary believe that through the Bible and Creation, God has given us everything we need to know who He is, what His plan is for salvation and what His specific purpose is for each of our lives. Thus, Mountain Meadow Ranch Bible Camp exists to fulfill this purpose. It is a non-profit, non-denominational Bible camp. Howard and Ruthmary personally ran the camp for more than 20 years and Howard continued as a board member until his death on November 15, 2002. Howard is survived by Ruthmary, his wife of 67 years, daughters Jan Clemmens Clark and Sally Torpey, 7 grandchildren & 8 great-grandchildren. A family memorial service was held November 18th. The family requests donations to Mountain Meadow Ranch Bible Camp in lieu of flowers. c/o Ruthmary Walker at 2144 E. Broadmor, Tempe, Arizona 85282.