Sarah "Elaine" Walker

Sarah Elaine Walker

March 24, 1947-January 15, 2026

Sarah Elaine Walker, 78, of High Point, North Carolina, passed away peacefully after an extended bout of pneumonia in Houston, Texas. She professed her faith in Christ and tried to live out a life that would honor our Lord.

Sarah, who went by Elaine for most of her life, was born in 1947 to Raymon Lowe Walker and Virginia Queen Rush. As the third of four siblings, she grew up on the family's small farm, raising pigs and managing fields full of tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, strawberries, and peanuts. As a child, she loved to play the piano and spend time with her family. Elaine graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in sociology. She loved her college experience in Boone, where she learned to ski on the slopes and made several life long friends. After graduation Elaine returned to High Point, where worked for Sears as a shoe buyer for their catalogue division. Eventually, she was transferred to their Atlanta office. When Sears began to downsize their catalogue division, she returned to High Point to pursue a graduate degree in economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Unfortunately, poor health caused her to drop out, but she continued to work whenever she was able at H&R Block as a tax consultant. She lived with her beloved mother, both caring for each other, until her mother's death in 1999.

Elaine always had a close bond with her younger sister Iris French Stewart. In 2021, Iris succeeded in convincing Elaine to move to Houston so that they could spend more time together, with the bonus of also being near Iris's son Raymond Walker French, his wife Ginny, and their three young daughters. Elaine lived the last few years at Treemont Nursing Facility, where she enjoyed arts and crafts, bird watching, pastor visits, and a variety of other social activities. She delighted in dressing up in costumes for holidays, getting her nails done, and visiting with Iris, Walker, and her grandnieces.

Elaine was (informally) the family historian--someone with a remarkable memory for the people and events of her life. When debating the past, everyone trusted Elaine's memory better than their own. If you showed her a family photo, even one taken before she was born, Elaine could be counted on to name each person pictured and usually to recall the story that went along with it. She was also a faithful correspondent who regularly honored her friends and family with handwritten letters. She adored her nieces and nephews and kept their birthdays on yearly calendars. She will be remembered as an exceedingly good listener, kind heart, and loving sister, aunt, and friend to all who knew her.

A devout Christian, Elaine was a member of Christ United Methodist Church and appreciated visits from several ministers from Second Baptist Church in Houston who prayed with her during her recent hospital stays. Elaine struggled with chronic illness for most of her adult life and her family is comforted that her health is restored and been made whole in Heaven.

Elaine was preceded in death by her loving parents, as well as her older brother Dale Walker and her brother-in-law "Stu" Stewart, who are all now reunited with her. She is survived by her older brother Raymon L. Walker Jr. (Ruby Walker) of Alpharetta, Georgia, her younger sister Iris French Stewart of Houston, Texas, as well as five nieces, two nephews, and 16 grandnieces and grandnephews, all of whom she deeply loved and adored.

The family extends special thanks to everyone at Treemont Nursing Facility, where Elaine had many friends who loved her dearly, and to the staff at Memorial Hermann Hospital, Kindred Sugarland Long Term Care Facility, and Gentiva Hospice, who provided such wonderful care for her during her final weeks.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 pm on Saturday, February 28, at Holy Family Chapel, First United Methodist Church, 512 N Main St, High Point, NC 27260.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to First United Methodist Church, High Point, NC, in memory of Sarah Elaine Walker.