Jake Walker, a Kansas City worker who found second career with his church, dies at 87

Editor’s word: This function is a part of a weekly focus from The Star meant to focus on and bear in mind the lives of Black Kansas Citians who’ve died.

Jake, Daddy, PawPaw, Papa Jake, Brother Walker, BOSS and OG have been lots of the phrases of endearment folks had for Jake River Walker.

He didn’t have a favourite. He was proud to be known as by each one among them, his household mentioned.

“I known as him Pops,” mentioned Charles Hammond, who has been married 32 years to Walker’s daughter Linda Hammond. “He was truly in my life longer than my very own father. My father handed away once I was a 17.”

Walker, a father of 5 who labored for the town of Kansas Metropolis and who discovered a second profession of kinds together with his church, died on April 21. He was 87.

He was born Feb. 11, 1935, in Star Metropolis, Arkansas, to Tory and Amanda Walker. His household moved to Kansas Metropolis when he was 10 years previous and he attended college within the Kansas Metropolis Faculty District.

As a younger grownup, Walker hung out in California earlier than returning to Kansas Metropolis and dealing for the town. Throughout his 35-year profession with the town, he turned referred to as the particular person to go to should you wished the job finished.

By the point he retired in 1995, he was a supervisor within the metropolis’s waste administration division, his household mentioned.

Walker was a member of the Blue Valley Masonic Lodge which later mixed to turn into the Coles-Finch Lodge No. 186 of the Masonic Order of the Second District. He was a gold card member, signifying over 40 years, and have become a freemason of the 32 diploma. He additionally served as a previous grasp and have become a patron within the Order of the Jap Star.

He was a member of Haven of Relaxation Baptist Church till he joined Jamison Memorial Temple in 2004. It was there the place he discovered his “second profession,” household mentioned

He turned very energetic with the church, together with serving as a trustee and turning into chairman of the trustee board. His truck appeared to all the time to have been parked there, household mentioned, and he was prepared to do no matter wanted to be finished together with repairs. He was the “go-to” man for the church.

“He actually acquired into church and it modified his life,” Walker’s daughter Linda Hammond mentioned. “That’s all he wished to do is to verify he was serving God.”

Walker married Shirley Walker in Might 2004. Household mentioned he was all the time a really loving, devoted and devoted husband.

Shirley Walker mentioned that if she ever mentioned she wished one thing, he was asking the following day when she was going to go get it.

“We haven’t even talked about it,” she mentioned she’d reply.

“Effectively, you mentioned you wished it,” he would counter.

Cynthia Ward, mentioned she solely knew Walker for the 18 years since he married her mom. Throughout that point, they purchased a home and renovated it.

“He was very younger at coronary heart,” Ward mentioned. “He favored to go, he favored to do issues and he was capable of do issues.”

Shirley and Jake Walker beloved to journey, taking journeys to Arkansas, Texas and Wisconsin, though Shirley Walker mentioned that she in all probability favored touring greater than he did.

One among his favourite trip spots was Arkansas, the place he would go to his brothers-in-law on their farm — having fun with the liberty of nation life, together with checking on the cows on the 4 wheeler. He even tried elevating cattle himself, however that didn’t final lengthy after he found out all the bills it entailed.

He made some extent to be on the Walker household reunion that occurred each two years in a distinct state. The final one, held in Texas in 2020, nevertheless, was known as off as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, his household mentioned. On the one earlier than that in Detroit, there have been greater than 400 members of the family there.

“He knew in all probability most everyone — besides the youthful people,” Linda Hammond mentioned.

However they knew him as a result of he was one of many elders, Charles Hammond, added.

Walker was a pleasant one that favored treating folks, together with strangers, as a beloved one.

“As a father-in-law, I don’t suppose we ever had a cross phrase in any respect,” mentioned Hammond, who recalled how early on they might exit on a two-man boat to go fishing. “As a human, he was an amazing particular person.”

Walker beloved to fish, although his household mentioned nobody knew whether or not he was actually any good or not.

“He tried to be fisherman however he wasn’t too nice of a fisherman,” Shirley Walker mentioned. “He did lastly catch one massive one which he was happy with.”

He would fish together with his associates on the Lake of the Ozarks. And like many fisherman, he favored to inform tales.

“Chances are you’ll not wish to consider a number of the tales,” Walker mentioned.

His household joked that they didn’t know if he caught the fish or the fish caught him. His pole simply occurred to be within the water and the fish was on it.

Jake Walker beloved the outside and the nation. It’s the place he felt free and relaxed.

He additionally beloved to play the lottery and gained a few occasions. When the casinos first opened, he used to go and “win massive,” Hammond mentioned. He stopped going so he may spend extra time together with his spouse.

However he didn’t surrender on the scratcher tickets, which he performed principally for leisure.

“His birthday was February 11 and he was telling everyone, ‘Oh simply give me some lottery tickets,’” Hammond mentioned. “So once I went to purchase some tickets, a number of the machines have been empty. I feel I spent $10 on tickets and gave him the remainder for fuel.”