Walter "Wally" William Tarkington

Walter ‘Wally” William Tarkington, loving husband and father, accomplished musician, talented chef, and everyone’s favorite smarty pants, died at home January 6, 2026, in Clinton, OK.

Born October 14, 1974, in Dallas, TX to Donna Love and Dennis Tarkington, Wally spent much of his childhood traveling the country, attending auto races with his father and brother as well as performing with his mother in ice shows. He lived in several cities during this time, most notably Riverton, NJ and Birmingham, MI, ultimately finding himself in Oklahoma where he graduated from Norman High School in 1992.

Wally attended Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford, where he majored in guitar performance. He met his bride Melinda at SWOSU band camp, and they married in 2003. Wally was a jack of all trades who possessed many skills and talents, but his favorite things to do were making music with his friends and cooking for people he loved. His favorite place to be was the garage where he spent hours tinkering with guitars and cars. Since 2020 he and Melinda have performed hundreds of songs during many live stream events under the name “The Tarkingtones”, performances that can still be enjoyed on their Facebook page.

Wally was preceded in death by mother Donna, stepfather Marshell Love, and father-in-law David Snider. He is survived by his wife Melinda and children Lily and Ben of the home, father Dennis and stepmother Ann of Sanger, TX, brother and sister-in-law Wes and Aspen Tarkington, mother-in-law Beverly Snider, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Michael and Linda Snider, and nephews Jett and Raymond Tarkington and Seth Melton.

A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at 3:00pm at The Social, located at 700 W. Gary Blvd in Clinton, OK. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund at sweetrelief.org to help uninsured musicians with expenses while they undergo medical treatment.