Barbara Jean Walker

1932 - 2023

Barbara Jean (Sullivan) Walker, 91, of Carthage, Ill., passed Nov. 6, 2023, at Maple Grove Memory Care in Carthage.
Barbara was born Aug. 3, 1932, in an apartment above her grandparents' grocery store in Macomb. She was the only child of Clarence Loraine Sullivan and Esther Catherine (Olson) Sullivan. Barb, as she was known by her many friends and relatives, experienced life in several communities throughout the Midwest during her youth. She graduated from Quincy High School in 1950 and attended Western Illinois Teachers College. After settling in Carthage, Barb held various secretarial and administrative positions over a roughly 40-year span, including Huston's Insurance Agency, Carthage Community High School and Memorial Hospital.
On Jan. 2, 1955, Barb was united in marriage to Howard Raymond Walker at the First United Methodist Church in Carthage. They enjoyed a loving marriage for the next 61 years until Howard's passing in 2016. Barb volunteered in various capacities throughout her years with the First United Methodist Church and the Hancock County Election Board. She truly enjoyed spending time with her close friends in the monthly bridge club. She was very proud of her years as a high school secretary as evidenced by the many students who extended warm greetings to her years after her retirement.
Barb was a loving and proud mother and grandmother. She leaves behind her three children, Lorrie White of Carthage, Bill (Deborah) Walker of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Sandy (Matt) Hunt of Lebanon, Ind.; five grandchildren, Casey Sargent, Christopher Sargent, Libbie (Dillon) Pollock, Lillian Walker and Jacob Hunt, several great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
In addition to her parents and her husband, Barb was preceded in death by a son-in-law, Terry White, and a grandson, Justin Hunt.
Funeral services were held Thursday, Nov. 9, at the First United Methodist Church in Carthage at 10 am. She was laid to rest at Moss Ridge Cemetery following the service. The family greeted friends Wednesday evening from 5-8 p.m. at the Printy Funeral Home in Carthage.
Memorial donations are suggested to the First United Methodist Church of Carthage or to Hancock Village Supportive and Memory Care.