Duff Hil Walker

1941 - 2026

Anacortes - Duff Hil Walker, a man whose life was defined by curiosity, courage, and boundless love for his family, passed away on Saturday, January 10th, 2026, surrounded by those who cherished him.

He is survived by his wife, Elise ("Pinky"), married 61 years, and his sons, Scott (wife Amber) and Kirk (wife Usha), and three grandchildren (Max, Sophie and Analise).

His path through education reflected both ambition and a restless intellect. He began his studies at Harvard before transferring to the University of Colorado, where he completed his undergraduate degree, met and married Elise, and earned his medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. After graduating, he completed a one-year Army internship in San Francisco. Scott was born in San Francisco before Duff left for his year of service as an Army physician in the Vietnam War. After returning home from Vietnam, he and Pinky welcomed their second son, Kirk, who was born in Seattle, Washington where he completed his radiology residency at the University of Washington.

After residency, Duff practiced radiology in Alaska for six years, combining his medical career with his love of wilderness and adventure. Then, in 1979, he moved to Mount Vernon, Washington, joined the radiology practice at Skagit Valley Hospital, where he spent the next 22 years caring for the Mount Vernon community and surrounding areas. He was respected not only for his diagnostic skill, but also for the warmth, compassion, and good humor he brought to every colleague and patient encounter.

Born with an adventurous spirit, he sought out the world in all its forms. He learned to fly and later bought a four-seater Cessna 185 floatplane, flying his family to remote lakes in the Alaskan wilderness. Many more adventures followed including river jetboats, skiing, hiking, canoeing, hockey, sea kayaking, paragliding, sailing, scuba diving and his very favorite sport, swimming-always with family in tow. His travels took him across continents, including a cherished trip to Nepal with Kirk, Usha, and Pinky, where they hiked to Annapurna camp and embraced the majesty of the Himalayas together. Living near Scott and Amber in Washington for many years also brought countless shared moments, including day trips, weekend adventures, and simple everyday joys, as he and Pinky explored the state with Scott, Amber, and their children, Duff and Pinky's beloved grandchildren.

Through everything, he will always be remembered for his exceptional sense of humor. He was an avid biker, traveling the world with Pinky and their circle of biking friends, many of whom learned (usually just off the trail) what it meant to "leak" one's "lizard". He lit up every room with his sharp anecdotes, perfectly timed one-liners, and the unmistakable smile that meant something funny was coming.

He had an insatiable curiosity about the world and passed his love of learning on to his kids, grandkids, and nearly everyone he met. He had the rare gift of turning strangers into friends, and he will be deeply missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him.

In lieu of giving flowers please donate to Community Action of Skagit County: https://www.communityactionskagit.org/donate/#donateform or donate by phone: (360) 416-7585.

A Celebration of Life is being planned for in April 2026 details of which will be published on this website. Please feel free to share memories of Duff and bookmark this link www.evanschapel.com/obituary/duff-walker to check for updates on the service.