Dr. Kerfoot Pollock Walker Jr.

Dr. Kerfoot P. Walker, Jr. A Celebration of Life for Dr. Kerfoot Pollock Walker, Jr. will be held on August 26, 2022 at 11 am at Green Acres Baptist Church Chapel with Dr. Mark Dance officiating. Visitation and lunch with the family will follow the service. A private family burial will be held under the direction of Jackson's Burks-Walker-Tippit Funeral Home.

Kerfoot was born on January 27, 1930, in Huntington, Texas to Kerfoot, Sr. and Nell Walker, and married the love of his life, Dr. Marietta Crowder, on June 29, 1957. Together they had three children, Kerfoot P. Walker, III (Pete), Amelia N. Proctor (Amy), and Dr. Christopher W. Walker (Chris). Kerfoot went home to be with Jesus, his Lord and Savior, on August 21, 2022.

Kerfoot was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, a caring and compassionate doctor, an excellent leader, and a friend to everyone he met. He fulfilled all those roles while steadfastly following one purpose-serving the Lord Jesus Christ by caring for people physically as a doctor and caring for them spiritually by sharing the Gospel to the ends of the earth. He said, "Working for Christ, in His grace, is the joy of my life. To be able to touch someone in a human way for Jesus brings a thrill that overcomes fatigue, sorrow, and depression. Working for Christ in my profession is thrilling, seeing Him save physical lives for future service in His kingdom is really something. I am convinced that the longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows."

Kerfoot's early life was spent in Huntington, Livingston, and Harlingen, Texas. He graduated with a BA in Biology from Hardin-Simmons University in 1951. He earned his Doctorate of Medicine from Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas, in 1955. Kerfoot's post-graduate internship was at the University of Alabama Medical School and the Hillman Clinics in Birmingham, Alabama. As God would have it, changes to the intern assignment schedule allowed him to meet Marietta. He started his residency at the VA Hospital in Birmingham. While in Birmingham, Kerfoot joined the US Navy Reserve where he served as a doctor from 1956-1962.

The Walkers moved to Dallas, Texas, and both finished their Internal Medicine Residencies at Dallas Veterans Hospital. They moved to Tyler, Texas in 1960, where he began his private internal medicine practice. He retired from private practice in 1978 to accept the position of Medical Director of the Tyler-Smith County Public Health Department where he served until he retired in 1996.

Kerfoot had a huge heart for the poor and downtrodden. He opened The Way of Life which includes several halfway houses that care for men who are ex-convicts and those struggling with various addictions, helping them to get clean, stay clean, get jobs and change their lives for the better. The original location in Tyler is named after him, the Walker House.

Kerfoot and Marietta applied to the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board in their early 30's only to be turned down because they were "too old." Thus began a lifetime of independent Christian mission service. They taught vacation Bible school, provided free medical service, cared for refugees, and provided pastors to train other pastors for more than 50 years in more than 30 countries.

In 1969, Kerfoot had the opportunity to go to British Honduras, now Belize, on an exploratory mission trip. He worked with missionaries there and fell in love with the Mayan people in the Toledo District. He and Marietta went 2-4 times a year doing free medical work in many different villages, and over the years brought many others to minister with them. Those trips continued for 50 years! When he walked into a village, many people knew him. He is the doctor they grew up with, the one who came back, time and time again, and cared for them and their children. He has trekked through the jungle, forged through raging rivers, and slept on the ground many times to care for their needs. He loved them, and they loved him.

Kerfoot and Marietta joined Green Acres Baptist Church in 1960 where he taught high school Sunday School, served as a deacon, and sang in the choir for more than half a century. He planned the first GABC youth mission trip and led many others. He developed the church's Belize evangelism plan. He served as an advisor to YWAM, Calvary Commission, Global Outreach, Chief Cornerstone, Way of Life, Belize missions, Grace Community Church, Living Alternatives, and Amigos Internacionales.

Kerfoot taught that in all matters there is both a shallow and a deep perspective, even in life itself. We can live for ourselves alone or live for a greater purpose and value. For him, that purpose was Jesus. He knew to live for others requires steadfast commitment and courage and steady communication with the Holy Spirit, who spurs us to action. The power of the Spirit makes the task possible. He believed when we give our life for others, putting aside personal gain and recognition, we find true joy!

Kerfoot is survived by three children: Pete and wife Vicki, Amy and husband James, and Chris and wife Tracy, all of Tyler; 11 grandchildren: Micah, Bethany, Rachel, Hannah, Lydia, and Kert Walker; Jessica and husband Jordan Vasquez; Jordan Proctor and wife Becca; Kenai and wife Courtney, Kemp, and Kalle Walker; and three great-grandchildren: Tucker and Hunter Vasquez and Truman Walker. He is also survived by his sister Hestermae Nixon and husband Edwin of Bullard, Texas, and brother-in-law Warren Crowder and wife Nellie of Lattimore, North Carolina.

The family is eternally grateful to Lolie Jean Small for a lifetime of service to our family and to caregivers Jordan, Wes, Marty, Felisha, Tasha, LaShannon, Angie, Sarah, Kendrick, Calvin, and Patti for their excellent, loving care over the past 4 years.

If you wish, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bethesda Health Clinic, 409 W Ferguson St., Tyler, TX, 75702, Living Alternatives, PO Box 131466, Tyler, TX, 75713-1466, Chief Cornerstone, Inc., 8612 Auburn Drive, Tyler, TX, 75703, or to the charity of your choice.

Please check Burks-Walker-Tippit website for any updates.