OBITUARY
 In
Memory of
Doug Walker
June 6, 1953 - January 13, 2016
William Douglas (Doug) Walker, 62, of St. Simons Island, passed away at
his home on January 13, 2016 from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's
disease. A memorial service will be held on January 23rd at 2:00 p.m. at
Wesley United Methodist Church at Frederica with the Reverend Steve
Patton officiating.
Doug was born June 6, 1953 in Lubbock, Texas to Barbara Ruth Klaus and
the late Lyndon Gaston Walker. He grew up in the Dallas area with his
three siblings and attended R.L. Turner High School, where he met his
future bride, Beverly Fuller Walker. In 1971, Doug returned to Lubbock
to attend his father's alma mater Texas Tech University. As a proud Red
Raider, he was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and earned a
B.B.A. in Finance. He married Beverly, his high school sweetheart, in
1975 prior to graduation.
A passionate businessman and entrepreneur, Doug began his career in the
oil and gas industry. His roles with Continental-Emsco and LTV Energy
took him and Beverly to Houston, Dallas, and Tulsa, Okla. When the oil
industry experienced a major downturn in the mid-1980s, he was
instrumental in helping many drillers and producers avoid financial ruin
with innovative financing that Doug developed and offered to customers
of LTV Energy. When LTV Energy itself succumbed to the collapse of the
oil industry, Doug was approached by a colleague to help develop a new
chain of hotels in the Southeast. This venture into the hospitality
industry resulted in the successful launch of the Jameson Inns, which
grew to over 150 hotels. It also brought the couple and their two
daughters, Whitney and Lindsey, to Georgia.
Doug spent 15 years in various leadership roles with Jameson Inns. He
traveled the Southeast finding new sites for hotels, while also leading
the construction arm of the company that built over 120 Jameson Inns.
That experience ultimately allowed him to start his own commercial real
estate development company, Iron Horse Development. He enjoyed every
aspect of the development process, but especially meeting new people and
forming lasting relationships with his business partners, employees, and
clients. Never one to stop working, Doug continued to flex his real
estate muscle in his final years as a realtor with Don Wright and
Associates.
An avid golfer with three holes-in-one to his name, he loved planning
annual golf trips with friends. His family also competed annually for
bragging rights in their own version of "The Walker Cup". When not
golfing, Doug enjoyed biking, learning foreign languages, playing games,
reading, feeding the birds and squirrels in his backyard, and grilling
out while listening to his favorite radio show, A Prairie Home
Companion.
Always up for an adventure, he loved traveling, and took his family on
memorable vacations to Bermuda, Cabo San Lucas, the French Riviera,
Puerto Rico and Quebec. Trips to Disney World and New York City, his
all-time favorites, were a family tradition every year.
Doug was a loving and devoted father to his two daughters and was
blessed to be "Pop" to his two young grandsons, Tate, age 6, and Brady,
age 4. After experiencing the sweet joy of being Daddy to little girls,
playing dolls and having tea parties, as Pop, he once again got to be an
enthusiastic playmate-but this time for his energetic grandsons,
wrestling, playing ball, and having sword fights. Many miles were logged
between the island and Roswell, Ga., in order to spend as much time with
them as possible.
St. Simons Island was paradise to Doug and he was actively involved in
the community. He was a former President of the Sea Palms Homeowner's
Association, a former member of the Sea Palms Men's Golf Association, a
former board member of Brunswick Kiwanis and a longtime member of Wesley
United Methodist Church at Frederica. He looked forward to playing
Liar's Poker with friends on Monday nights at Brogan's North. Friday
nights were date nights, enjoying the local cuisine along with another
couple. He would chat with restaurant owners and staff, almost always
ending his meals with his signature slice of key lime pie. Walking
around the pier/village and being by the water brought him much pleasure
and contentment.
Doug is survived by his wife of 41 years; daughter Whitney Golden Walker
and her two sons, William "Tate" and James "Brady" Golden; daughter
Lindsey Walker Marcec and her husband Dan. He is also survived by his
mother; sister Linda Poe and her husband Charles; brother Neal and his
wife Terry; and brother Greg and his wife Kris. His maternal aunt Marie
and her husband Bill McCoy survive him, as well as his uncle Marvin
Quaid, and many cousins, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by
his paternal grandparents, Omar Martin Walker and Lena Hardy Walker;
maternal grandparents Helmut Klaus and Anna Wilson Klaus; father; and
maternal aunt, Margaret Quaid.
Even as ALS took away Doug's speech and mobility, his love for life and
faith in God allowed him to continue to share his trademark smile and
buoyant laugh with his family and friends. His courage, strength, and
dignity were an inspiration to loved ones, who are comforted to know
that he is now at peace with his savior.
The family would like to express their gratitude to nurse Lisa Ford and
the other caregivers of Heartland Hospice. In lieu of flowers, donations
may be made to ALS of Georgia (http://tinyurl.com/zhds6mt), Muscular
Dystrophy Association (http://www.mda.org/), Heartland Hospice (https://www.heartlandhospice.com/),
or Wesley United Methodist Church(http://wesleyssi.org). Arrangements
are being handled by Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home,
www.edomillerandsons.com . |
The Brunswick News (GA) - January 16, 2016 |
Carrollton-Farmers
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