Emily Holloway Walker's Obituary
Emily Holloway Walker, 81, died July 25, 2023 surrounded by family at Baptist Reynolds Hospice House in Collierville, TN.
Emily was born in Memphis on February 27, 1942 to the late Earl Thompson and Emily Lena How Holloway. She grew up in Midtown Memphis with her parents, younger brother Tom, and Uncle John. Some of her favorite childhood memories were on Wahpeton Hill and the Spring River in Hardy, Arkansas, where she gained a lifelong love of nature and adventure.
Always a trailblazer, Emily graduated from Hutchison School, Rhodes College, and Emory Business School, where she was the second woman to earn an MBA. She had a brilliant mind with a particular proclivity for math and music. A creative and fearless problem solver, she never shied away from a good challenge.
After working at Malone & Hyde, she took an “extended” maternity leave to assume the role that she cherished the most - that of wife and mother.
To know Emily was to be loved by her. She had a smile that was infectious and a kind and generous spirit that was evident to everyone in her life. She shared her time and skills generously - whether volunteering at the Woman’s Exchange, working with her P.E.O. Sisterhood, or helping friends and family. To Emily, everyone was a friend, and she was quick to snap into action whenever she saw a need.
Emily loved music and art; she loved nature and the outdoors; she loved travel and adventure; but, most of all, she loved her family and friends. She will be dearly and forever missed.
She is survived by her beloved husband of 46 years, John Robert “Bob” Walker, III; her brother, Earl Thompson “Tom” Holloway, Jr. (Fran Greeson); children, John Robert Walker, IV (Anna) and Emily Walker Koelsch (Joe); grandchildren, Lena Walker Koelsch, Lewis Joseph Koelsch, Caroline Parris Walker, and John Robert “Jack” Walker, V; sister-in-law, Mary Edith Walker; and brother-in-law, William Martin Holloway (Tommy Carroll). Emily was preceded in death by her parents, Earl Thompson and Emily Lena How Holloway; uncle, John Hopkins How; granddaughters, Grace Thompson Walker and Catherine Parris Walker; and brother-in-law, George Lee Walker.
Emily’s family thanks Adell Martin for her extraordinary care, love, and support for Emily and all of the family throughout her ten-year illness.
A visitation will take place Friday, July 28th at Memorial Park Funeral Home from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. The funeral service will be at St. James Anglican Church on Saturday, July 29th at 11:00 a.m. with burial following at Forest Hill Cemetery Midtown.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Church Health Center, Moffitt Cancer Center, or an organization of choice.
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