Emory C. Walker Jr.

1929 - 2021

Walker, Jr., Emory C.
09/11/1929 - 10/05/2020

Emory C. Walker, Jr., was born Sept 11, 1929, in Tucumcari, NM, to Emory and Kathryn Butterbaugh Walker.
He attended grade school in Tucumcari and high school in El Paso, TX. Upon graduation he went to work for Mountain Bell Telephone Company and was a part-time student at Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy in El Paso when the army drafted him.
On Jan 5, 1951, he entered the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, GA. After basic training and OCS he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and sent to Korea as a battery commander defending Outpost Harry. On June 15, 1953, a Chinese bullet went through his left wrist. He was treated at a M*A*S*H, returned to the USA and eventually Fitzsimons Hospital in Denver.
Emory spent almost three years undergoing 14 surgeries at Fitzsimons where his wound was repaired so his arm was never amputated. He was awarded the Purple Heart. Toward the end of his army days, Emory met Carolyn Slack. They were married June 6, 1956. Two daughters were born to this union: Nancy Louise and Judy Claire. Carolyn died in Nov 2013.
Emory graduated from the University of Denver with a business degree. While at DU he joined Sigma Chi fraternity. He served as a national officer as well as an editor (25 years) of the local alumni newsletter. He served as a trust officer for Colorado National Bank for 30 years.
Upon retirement he served as a tour guide at the state capitol, volunteer at the Denver Metro Visitors Center, the St. Francis Center homeless shelter, and Denver International Airport.
His faith was an integral part of his life. He attended various churches in Tucumcari, El Paso, St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Denver, and Oracle Union Church in Oracle, AZ, which was the setting for his marriage to Anne Marsh Torkelson on March 26, 2014.
The couple kept a summer home in Denver and a winter home in Oracle until Emory sold his home in Denver in 2019.
An emergency visit to the Tucson Veterans Hospital on September 20, 2020, revealed Emory had metastatic cancer. His valiant struggle ended with his death Oct 5, 2020.
This gentle, caring, loving man is missed by his wife, family, and many friends. May he rest in peace!