Addie Bell Walker

Addie Bell Toni Walker passed away on September 21, 2005 in the Texas Medical Center Methodist Hospital, in Houston after a courageous battle with cancer. A graveside service will be held at 1 p.m., Tuesday, September 27 in Waco Memorial Park North with Addie’s beloved “singing chaplain” Bill Bross, Senior Staff Chaplain of Houston Methodist Hospital officiating. The family will receive visitors from 6 – 8 pm on Monday, September 26th at Wilkirson Hatch Bailey Funeral Home, 6101 Bosque Blvd. Addie was born July 16, 1920 in West, Texas to William Harold and Judie Ann Pass Stephens. She grew up and attended school in Mexia, graduating from Mexia High School in 1938. After earning an associate degree in business from Hill Junior College, she moved to Washington, D.C. to help in the war effort. While working for the Department of the Navy, she met and married MST John Walker. They celebrated 52 years of marriage before his death on February 24, 1996. Addie raised 5 daughters, including triplets, and moved often as an Air Force wife. After her husband’s retirement, the family moved to Waco and she lived in the Lake Air area for almost forty years. Addie and John had a great love for camping and shared many wonderful times traveling in their Coleman pop-up. They visited many states, but especially loved Colorado and would spend a month or more there each summer. Addie and John were also passionate genealogists and spent countless hours in libraries, city halls, and cemeteries tracing their family roots. They would often combine their interests in camping and genealogy to take long and extended trips throughout the South and the Midwest to research their families. Always up for a new challenge, Addie obtained her first computer in her early 70s and became very proficient in using it. After John’s death, her computer skills allowed her to continue her research and add to her extensive collection of family history. Addie also had a great love for birds and derived much pleasure and entertainment from feeding the finches, wood peckers, doves, titmice, chickadees, hummingbirds, and other species that visited her many feeders. She also enjoyed devising ways to try and outsmart the squirrels that were always attempting to grab a part of the birdfeed. Addie is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and one granddaughter, Cheryl Lynette Owen. Addie is survived by her daughters: Judy Perrigin and husband David of Houston, Kathy Kral and Bill of West, and the triplets, Jeanne Alexander and husband Joe of Lorena, Joanne Mahn and husband George of Whitney, Jeannette Crow and husband Eddie of Bellmead. She is also survived by grandchildren: Davey Perrigin, Rhonda Spitzer, Michael Kral, Misty Scott, Jason Owen, Robin Hartberg, Sam Alexander, David Alexander, Leann Chisholm, Andy Owen, George Mahn III, Steven Mahn, Ryan Mahn, Lisa Whitlock, Tiffany Glover and Jennifer McCaig; 17 great grandchildren; brother Billie Stephens and wife Ruth, and numerous nieces and nephews. Honorary pallbearers will be Addie’s sons-in-law and grandsons. During her last eleven months, she underwent intensive chemotherapy and physical therapy treatments in Houston and has left behind a community of caring doctors, nurses and caretakers at Methodist Hospital and the Forum at Memorial Spring Woods who had truly become a second family. The family would like to thank all of them. Special thanks go to Dr. Jade Schiffman Addie’s guardian angel, Dr. Garrett Rush Lynch, and Danny DePass for their guidance, compassion, and excellent care. Memorials in honor of Addie may be sent to the University of Houston College of Optometry Faculty Scholarship Endowment Fund: University of Houston College of Optometry, 505 J. Davis Armistead Building, Houston, TX 77204-2020. The family invites you to leave a message or memory in “Our Memorial Guestbook” at www.wilkirsonhatchbailey.com. Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey