Delbert L. Walker

Surrounded by the love and prayers of family, Delbert returned home to the Lord on April 2, 2017. He died at home in Waukesha, Wisconsin, holding the hand of Elsie, his beloved wife of 62 years.

Delbert was born April 20, 1930, to D.B. and Ethel Mae Walker of Sayre, Oklahoma. He was the sixth of eight children and had happy memories of working alongside his siblings to sell produce from the family farm. The family moved to California and Oregon during the Great Depression, before settling in Yakima, Washington, in the 1940s on a five-acre property where they grew apples, peaches, and pears. Delbert attended Yakima Valley Junior College before joining the Union Pacific Railroad where his skills as a stenographer started him on a long, successful career.

He was drafted to serve two years in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, then returned to Washington where his job with the railroad and more happy years among apple orchards awaited him. Elsie awaited him there, too. The couple met during a fellowship meeting at the Tabernacle in Yakima. They married on April 9, 1955, at Stone Church.

Fondly known as Del by friends and coworkers, he earned successive promotions that took him to Walla Walla, Washington, Eugene, Oregon, and Longview, Washington. He was promoted to a role as District Sales Manager in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, office in 1976. After he retired from the railroad, he worked part-time for Hub City and GST.

Del and Elsie raised their children with love, strong faith, Del’s homemade ice cream (vanilla, of course) at many family gatherings, and annual trips to Disneyland and to Phoenix.

Del was a loving husband, father, and friend, embodying the Beatitudes in his living. He can be best remembered in for living Jesus’s commendation, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

His memory will live on as a blessing to all who knew him, especially to his wife, Elsie, his daughter, Phyllis Dunn (Todd Center) and son, David (Jane) Walker. He delighted in his grandchildren, Jennifer (Michael) McCormick, and Jonathan, Thomas, Daniel, and Sarah Walker. He loved his brother Elmer Ray (Mary Ann) Walker, and his many nieces and nephews who survive him. His son, Ronald Walker, and great-grandson, Owen McCormick, preceded him in death as did five brothers and a sister.
The family welcomes you to celebrate Del’s life and faith on Wednesday, April 12, at Bridge Church, 1314 S. Grand Ave, Waukesha, WI 53186. Pastor Todd Pope will preside. Visitation at 11 a.m., service at noon, followed by a lunch at the church to which everyone is invited.
Del will be buried at Tahoma Cemetery in Yakima, Washington, on May 4, 2017. Service at 11 a.m., led by Pastor Vern Hagenback.
Randle-Dable-Brisk Funeral Home, Crematory and Preplanning Services is honored to serve the family. For further information, please call the funeral home at 262-547-4035 or visit our website at www.randledable.com for directions or to leave the family an online tribute message.