Pastor Douglas Adrian Walker

Pastor Douglas Adrian Walker passed away on Thursday, December 26, 2024. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Tyer Temple United Methodist Church, 3305 N. 15th Street, Tampa, FL 33605, Pastor C. Duane Eaddy, Officiator/Eulogist. Interment will follow in Rest Haven Memorial Park Cemetery, 4615 E. Hanna Avenue, Tampa, FL 33610.
Pastor Douglas Adrian Walker was born on April 15, 1960, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Robert Rushton Walker and Doris Kennedy Walker. He was the eldest of four children, raised in a home where faith, love, and family was the foundation of life. On August 8, 1986, he married Evelyn (DeBruin) Walker, and they remained together until early 1999. They had three children together: Douglas Adrian Walker II, Emily Maye Walker, and Eric Andrew Walker.
Pastor Walker's journey of service and compassion began early and continued throughout his life, leaving a profound impact on everyone blessed to know him. He was a proud graduate of Pomfret Preparatory Boarding School in Pomfret, Connecticut, which led him to the University of Pennsylvania. After one year, he left to fully devote himself to spreading the word of God, going door-to-door in service as a Jehovah's Witness, embracing his early calling to ministry in his 20s.
He faithfully pastored at St. John's Primitive Baptist Church in Clearwater from 1994, shortly after the birth of his youngest son. Although in 1996, he stepped away from the church while he faced personal challenges, God would lead him back to the pulpit at Tyer Temple United Methodist Church 20 years later.
In the meantime, Pastor Walker returned to pursue higher education at American Baptist College, where he graduated in 2011 as the oldest graduate of his class, reflecting his belief that it's never too late to pursue education and personal growth. His leadership as the president of the Student Government Association showed his deep commitment to justice and equality. He furthered his ministry studies at Wesley Theological Seminary (WTS), where he became an Urban Fellow dedicated to the principles of Restorative Justice.
While studying at Wesley Theological Seminary (WTS), Pastor Walker helped organize a Prison Reentry Conference in partnership with several organizations. His dedication to restorative justice led to his role as a Reentry Specialist for the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS), where he collaborated with Dr. Harold Trulear to develop a reentry model for the United Methodist Church. Pastor Walker shared this model nationwide, inspiring change and offering hope to countless lives. It was during one of these workshops that he met his activist wife, Cheryl Faries. As a couple they founded the Tampa Bay Center for Community Transformation. For the past nine years the Center has conducted workshops on Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma Informed Community Development.
Pastor Walker was preceded in death by: his maternal grandparents, Reverend William S. Kennedy and Nora Kennedy May of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his paternal grandparents, Lonnie Woods of Largo, Florida, and Etta Mae Walker of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
He deeply cherished his family. He is lovingly remembered by: his wife, Cheryl Faries; children, Beverly M. (Adam) Fink, Douglas Adrian Walker II, Emily Maye Walker, and Eric Andrew Walker; stepdaughter, Kia Faries; bonus son, Joshmia Toney; grandchildren, NaZiya, Prenton, A'Miracle, and Markii; parents, Robert Rushton Sr. and Doris Walker; siblings, Susan (Pastor C. Duane) Eaddy, Dara Walker, and Robert Rushton Walker, Jr.; nieces, Nadja Eaddy and Alana Eaddy; nephews Joshua Eaddy; Jordan Eaddy and Jaamal Parker and a special cousin Mark (Linda) Bickerstaff.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at Tyer Temple United Methodist Church, 3305 N. 15th Street, Tampa, FL 33605from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m.
Arrangements entrusted to Ray Williams Funeral Home, Rhodes & Northern, Owners. www.raywilliamsfuneralhome.com
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