Bernadine "Bernie" Walker

Bernadine "Bernie" Walker, 91, of Beaumont, died on Tuesday, December 30, 2025. She was born on March 22, 1934, in Hammond, Indiana.

In her younger years, she was an avid downhill skier. Bernie enjoyed watching the Dallas Cowboys, Notre Dame, and UT football. A very devoted and loving mother of four, she loved attending all of their sporting events. She was a den mother of Kenny's Boy Scout troop.

All her girls were so proud to wear dresses she sewed from patterns. Her last project was teaching her granddaughter, Reece, to sew an apron taking all summer long, but she was devoted like that.

What a chef Bernie was, so proud of her Polish decent; she'd serve Pierogis, Peste, Golabki, and polish kolaches at dinner and family parties or gatherings. More recently she loved cooking shows and Bobby Flay and most notable was her meatloaf and stuffed green peppers. Baking was Bernie's real passion. Especially making many varieties of cookies with the grandkids, to include her famous potato-chip cookies.

Gardening and floral arranging were also hobbies of hers. She loved gladiolas and mums especially and was a garden club member.

Bernie's favorite holiday movie was "A Christmas Story", and she watched it many times with her kids and her grandkids in particular. She was proud to always mention the creator's hometown was her birthplace of Hammond, Indiana.

But mostly Bernie was charitable, and her life focused mainly on her Catholic faith and volunteerism. For decades she was a member of St. Jude’s Thaddeus Catholic Church in Beaumont and served as a eucharistic minister and sacristan where she prepared the altar for masses. Bernie prayed the rosary every evening.

One of her real passions was time spent volunteering at Holy Family Retreat Center located off Major Drive in Beaumont. Bernie was a devoted gardener for many years, bringing her grandkids with her to learn the art of gardening seasonal plants and flower variations. She really just loved HFC's environment and socializing with the priests and staff. Her granddaughter can attest that when Bernie was suffering with frequent mental health issues, HFC was her refuge and way to escape, where she would take her grandkids to use their hands, interact with God and nature, and teach the necessity of volunteerism coupled with vibrant colored plants. "Grandma lived a heavy life with a big load on her shoulders, and HFC was the one place she could feel peace." She was also very involved in the local Al Anon community; she considered the meetings and friendships she made there paramount to her mental health and wellbeing. She also spent time visiting nursing home patients and local food kitchens.

You could always find diet cream soda, tapioca pudding with cool whip, orange cream sickles, and Campbell's Chicken Soup when you went to Grandma's house.

Survivors include her four children, Carolyn (Carrie) Kubala and her husband, Mark Kubala II; Kenneth (Kenny) Walker; Laura Walker Caldwell and her husband, Scott; and Kathleen (Kathy) Walker; grandchildren, Kate Kubala Garcia and her husband, Matt Garcia; Nick Kubala and his wife, Dr. Megan Yuasa; Faith Kubala; Eve Kubala; Reece Caldwell; Cody Caldwell; Taylor Williams; and Jack Williams; great-granddaughter, Daisy Garcia; brothers, Hank Filkowski and his wife, Edie and Larry Filkowski; sister-in-law, Sandy Filkowski; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Bernie is preceded in death by her parents and brother, Edward Filkowski.

In lieu of flowers, please consider memorial contributions to St. Jude’s Thaddeus Catholic Church, 6825 Gladys Avenue, Beaumont, Texas 77706 or the Holy Family Retreat Center, 9920 North Major Drive, Beaumont, Texas 77713.

A gathering of Ms. Walker's family and friends will begin at 10:00 a.m., with her Funeral Mass following at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at St. Jude’s Thaddeus Catholic Church, 6825 Gladys Avenue, Beaumont, under the direction of Broussard's, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. A reception will follow in Culotta Hall at the church.