Carolyn T. "Sugar" Walker's Obituary
Carolyn Tate Walker, 92, of Memphis, died peacefully on Wednesday, March 4, 2015, and is now with the Lord. Services will be at 2:00 pm Saturday, March 7, in Wilson Chapel at Christ United Methodist Church, with visitation in the church parlor one hour prior to the services. Burial will be at Elmwood Cemetery. “Sugar”, as she was known to her family and friends, grew up in Tunica, Mississippi, and in Memphis, attended Mississippi State College for Women, and was graduated from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College). She was a legal secretary for a number of years both prior to and following her marriage in 1949 to her dear husband of 57 years, John R. (“Johnny”) Walker, III, and retired to devote her time to raising her three boys. In 2006, she and Johnny moved to Kirby Pines Retirement Community, where she resided until her death. Sugar was a devout Christian and a member of Christ United Methodist Church, where she was very active in church activities and, before that, of St. John’s United Methodist Church. While at Christ United Methodist Church, she served as a member of the Stewardship Committee, as Chairperson of the Worship Work Area Committee and Chairperson of the Funeral Guild, as an ex-officio member of the Finance Committee, as a member of the Administrative Board, as a member of the Trustee Committee, as Chairperson for the Property Use Committee, as co ordinator of volunteer services to the inner city, as a Sunday School prayer coordinator, was a member of the Debra Circle of the United Methodist Women, and was a member of the Kingswood Sunday School Class at Christ Methodist. She was also a member of the Junior League of Memphis and of the Women’s Exchange of Memphis, studied many years with Bible Study Fellowship and Community Bible Study, and was very active in the early Emmaus movement in Memphis. She was a devoted wife, mother, and sister, a loving and faithful friend to many, and always unselfishly put the needs of others above her own. She was preceded in death by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Simpson Tate; her husband, John R. Walker, III; and her brothers Simpson Tate Jr., Gordon E. Tate, and Granville (“Bebe”) Tate. She leaves her three sons, Russell H. Walker of Memphis, Gordon Tate Walker and his wife Leslie Shatner Walker of Laguna Hills, CA, and David Shepherd Walker and his wife Paige Duffin Walker, of Collierville; her brother, S. Shepherd Tate of Memphis; and six grandsons: Grant Shatner Walker and Eric Joseph Walker of Laguna Hills, CA; Ryan Tate Walker, Matthew Duffin Walker, John Shepherd Walker, and Adam Aaron Walker of Collierville; and many beloved nieces and nephews. The family requests that any memorials be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, the Church Health Center of Memphis, or a charity of the donor’s choice.
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