Dan McMurray Walker

1937 - 2025

Dan McMurray Walker of Vienna, VA passed peacefully supported by family on Thursday, January 16, 2025 at Inova Fairfax Hospital.

Dan was born on November 19, 1937 in Washington, DC as the oldest of three siblings to William Powell and Josephine Brian Walker. He grew up in Annandale and graduated in 1955 from Fairfax High School where he played basketball and excelled in the high jump in track and field. He continued his high jumping on the team at the College of William and Mary where he graduated with a B.S. in mathematics and a Second Lieutenant's commission in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Reserves in 1961.

Dan married Nancy Ruddle in Franklin, WV in 1960 and their loving bond lasted more than 64 years.

Dan held a variety of technical and managerial positions in the operations research and applications of technology fields. He developed aerodynamic models, war games and simulations, and medical database analysis for organizations including the David Taylor Naval Research and Development Center, the Joint Staff, the US Postal Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Cancer Institute. Dan also started and directed his own computer systems support firm, Adepts. He brought his extensive technical knowledge and capabilities to the National Defense University's War Gaming and Simulation Center at Fort McNair in 1986 where he served many roles and responsibilities including Technical Support Team Leader and Acting Chief of the Modeling and Simulation Development/Support Branch. He also authored and co-authored several technical and user manuals for computer-aided simulations until his retirement in 2001.

Dan's personal pursuits from a young age included nature and the outdoors, scouting, camping, reading, music, community service, and his devout Christian faith. He was both a Cub and Boy Scout leader. He enjoyed mystery and detective novels as well as reading about history and music. His musical tastes ran the spectrum with show tunes and folk and classic country among his favorites. He became a passionate member of the online Daily Antidote of Song community in 2020 where he sang along and interacted with other lovers of folk music. For many years Dan regularly donated blood to the American Red Cross. He was an active and dedicated member of the Vienna Presbyterian Church for nearly 60 years where he served as a Trustee, summer mission project volunteer and leader, usher, teller, small group Bible study member, and elementary school youth mentor. Dan dearly loved his family and was always at the center of their lives including keeping up with the events and activities of his six grandchildren who adored their Pop Pop.

Survivors include his sister Jo Ellen Walker; his wife, Nancy Ruddle Walker; three children: Dan Walker, Jr. (Laura Albert) of Fairfax, Suzanne Pantzer (Paul) of Vienna, and Sean Walker (Bethany) of Houston, TX; six grandchildren: Evan and Aaron Walker, Christina and Paul Pantzer, and Andrew and Julia Walker; and 15 nieces and nephews.

Preceding him in death including his parents is his brother, Sam Walker.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 8 at 1 p.m. at Vienna Presbyterian Church, 124 Park St. NE, Vienna, VA 22180. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Committee for Helping Others (cho-va.com) or to Vienna Presbyterian Church (viennapres.org).