Walker Jr.
William “Junior” Walker Jr., 83, passed peacefully Wednesday, August 14, 2024, at the J. Olan Jones Health Care Center, Baptist Village Retirement Community, Waycross.
He was born to William Bernard Walker Sr. and Ola Maude Dixon Walker August 20, 1940 in Blackshear. He lived with his family in Blackshear until 1999 when he moved with his mother to Baptist Village Retirement Community. He actually had to convince his mother that he wanted to move to Baptist Village. He had visited once but immediately decided he wanted to live there.
He and his mom lived in a 2-bedroom Villa on the campus where they took long walks every day, visiting with other residents and workers. He decided he wanted to meet more people, so he took on the task of visiting the dining hall to pick up weekly menus and delivered them to Villa residents. He literally got to know everyone in his first year living there. His family organized a surprise 60th birthday party the following year and everyone came. Everyone knew him and he was really surprised.
When his Mom suffered a serious fall in 2002 and had to move to the nursing facility at Baptist Village to receive more personal care, he moved into the assisted living facility. And again, he made friends with everyone there working on puzzles, participating in all activities and helping with other residents. He lived there for 14 years and loved it.
In 2014, he moved to the nursing facility. Once again, he got to know everyone. He kept everyone informed on three things every day: the weather, the Atlanta Braves and the Georgia Bulldogs. He loved attending activities like bingo, trivia and exercise classes, so much so that the staff called him “Mr. Baptist Village”. He loved people and they all loved him. He leaves quite a legacy for a developmentally disabled adult.
Survivors include his sister, Mary Jan Walker Eichelberger, Atlanta, and sister-in-law, Velma Sue Crawford Walker, Tennessee; nieces: Linda Walker Jones, Joy Blount and Katherine Eichelberger Decker; nephews: Robby Walker, Chris Walker, Ted Eichelberger, Tom Eichelberger, Karl Eichelberger, Steve Eichelberger and many great-nieces and great-nephews and greatgreat- nieces and greatgreat- nephews.
Graveside funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, September 14 from the Blackshear City Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Bap tist Village Retirement Community, 2650 Carswell Ave., Waycross, Georgia 31501. Baptist Village is an amazing and caring community. They have done so much for both him and his mom.
Sympathy may be expressed by signing online at www.milesodumfuneralhome. com.
Miles-Odum Funeral Home of Waycross is in charge of arrangements.
