Thomas C. Walker

Thomas Chester Walker passed away peacefully at home with family in Seward, Alaska, on Oct. 20, 2014, after a long and courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease. Tom served 23 years on the Anchorage Police Department and eight years as Chief of Police in Seward. Tom was born on Oct. 3, 1942, in Martinsville, Ohio, the first of seven children to Chester and Jeannette Walker. In 1958, the family drove the Alcan Highway to Ninilchik, Alaska, homesteading on 35 acres in Happy Valley. Tom helped build the family's log cabin, dug a thirty foot well and shot his first moose. After graduating from Ninilchik High School in 1959, Tom attended University of Alaska Fairbanks for one year before joining the U.S. Army. He served from 1961-1964 and was stationed in Iran as an airplane mechanic. In 1965, Tom worked for Reeve Aleutian Airways until joining the Anchorage Police Department in 1968. Tom's career with APD began as a Patrol Officer for six years. In 1974, he was promoted first to Communications Corporal and assigned as Dispatch Supervisor, and then to Patrol Corporal. In 1976, Tom was promoted to Burglary Investigator; in 1978, he became a Homicide Investigator, receiving the Investigator of the Year Award. In 1980, he was promoted to Sergeant-in-Charge as the head of the burglary investigation unit. Even while working a full-time job, Tom continued his education receiving his A.A. degree in Police Science from Anchorage Community College. In 1981, Tom was promoted to Patrol Lieutenant. His duties were expanded in 1982, to develop and command APD's first Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT). After six years as head of CIRT, he trained at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., and was promoted to Captain-in-Charge of the Detective Division in 1988, which he called the "best job in the Anchorage Police Department." He supervised investigations into Anchorage's most violent and high-profile crimes and was assigned as the press and media relations officer. Tom retired from APD in 1991, and ten days later became Chief of Police in Seward, retiring in 1999. Tom was active in several organizations including Alaska Peace Officers Association, FBI National Academy Associates, Alaska Chiefs of Police Association, Resurrection Bay Lion's Club and Pioneers of Alaska. Tom wasn't all about hard work, he also liked to play at motor-sports, car racing in his early years and later snow-machining, trekking the Poker Run from Tok to Dawson. Tom enjoyed moose hunting and fishing with his charter boat "Fantasy Island" out of Seward, later replaced by his pleasure boat "Fastbreak." Formerly married to Beverlie Thomason in 1965, they had two children: Brian and Jessica. In 1973, he married Dona Sorenson-Lorenz and became a step-father to Dorene and Lisa, and settled the family in Eagle River, Alaska. Tom is survived by his wife of 41 years, Dona; son, Brian Walker of Seward; daughters, Jessica (Paul) Cacciola of Maple Valley, Wash., Dorene Lorenz of Anchorage and Lisa (Mike) Insalaco of Seward; and siblings, Amy Garroutte and Peggy Walker of Ninilchik, Daniel (Madelyn) of Seward, David of Philadelphia, Pa., Gregg (Sue) of Arizona, Eric (Charlotte) of Baku, Azerbaijan, and Kathi Davis of Seward. Tom had eleven grandchildren, Shane, Michael, Lauren, and Destiny Walker, Jarryd Ayers, Nicholas and Jack Cacciola, Casmir Billsborough, Brendan and Justin McMurray and Samantha Insalaco; and many nieces and nephews. Tom was preceded in death by his parents; and three brothers, Michael, William and Kevin. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014, at 2 p.m. at Resurrection Bay Baptist Church located at 520 4th Avenue in Seward, officiated by Pastor Kelly Cinereski. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tom's honor to Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska, 1750 Abbott Road, Anchorage, AK, 99507, 907-561-3313, www.alzalaska.org, or to SOS Pets, P.O. Box 3003, Seward, AK, 99664, www.sospetsak.org.