Obituary of Willis Walker

STOW- Willis Walker, 80, passed away December 8, 2013, surrounded by his family. He was and still is loved beyond words. Will was preceded in death by his parents Willis and Grace Walker and sister Carol Wolfe. He is survived by his wife of 58 years Marilyn; daughters Debra Walker-Horne and Susan Walker; sons Gary and Michael (Kelly); his grandson, Bradley and Eric Knotts, Devin and Cory Walker, Troy and Eric Horne; two great-granddaughters, Brooklynn Walker and Hailey Knotts and great-grandson Jacob Willis Knotts; his sister Mary Lou McCoy and brother-in-law Robert Wolfe. Will was drafted by the St. Louis Browns baseball team while in college, but the military draft didn’t let him pursue his baseball career.  Instead, he spent 2 years in the US Army, part of which was in Korea. He returned home, finished college earning a BS in Industrial Arts and an M.Educ. from Kent State University. He began teaching industrial arts at Stow High School in 1957. In addition to teaching, Will coached track, football, junior and senior varsity basketball teams, and was a founder of the Stow Booster Club. He continued to teach and coach until becoming Stow’s full time athletic director. In 1989 he was inducted into the Ohio Athletic Directors’ Hall of Fame. He worked to build the athletic programs at Stow until his retirement in 1991. Will was inducted into the Stow-Munroe Falls Booster Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. He lived his passions, enjoying family, coffee with friends, and sporting events. Will touched the lives and hearts of many people and will be greatly missed. Friends are invited to Redmon Funeral Home for calling hours Thursday 4 to 8 pm, where funeral service will be held Friday 1 PM.  Interment Silver Springs Cemetery