Wilson Walker

Wilson Walker was born in Hawkins, Georgia on April 7, 1937 as Woodrow Wilson Walker to Beulah Mae (Wilder) and Randall Walker, the fifth and last child of the family. He attended Jones County (GA) schools and graduated from his class as Salutatorian. He attended Savannah State University and then joined the USMC where he served at Guantanamo Bay and the Panama Canal Zone. He moved to Bethlehem to join his brother at the home of their cousin Doris Potillo, leaving sisters Lois, Nettie and Minnie in Georgia.

Before a long career at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, where he was a shop steward and worked with the United Steelworkers, he was employed by SureFit, Inc. During most of this time, he also owned his own landscaping business; you can see examples of his work all over the Lehigh Valley. He spent >20 years involved with the Sonny Hill basketball tournament, making connections with Lehigh Valley students to local colleges. As a result, he served as JV coach at Saucon Valley Middle School.

Wilson was also very active in the Improved Benevolent and Protective Order Elks of the World, Inc. Bethal Lodge #1284 for more than 50 years, many of them spent as Exaulted Ruler and many other administrative roles. Wilson was Past Master of the Wyoming Masonic Lodge #135 in Bethlehem. He was a faithful member of St. John’s AME Zion church for many years.

Wilson leaves to cherish his memory: one daughter he finally admitted it was OK to be a girl, Kimberly Walker of Sheffield Village, OH. Stepson, Frank Martin (Shundra) and three granddaughters, Adrianna J, Sydney, and Kendall, of St. Petersburg, FL, brother, Monfort (Jerry) Walker, of Freemansburg, sister, Nettie Ward of Gray, GA, a goddaughter, Jerrisa Burton of Allentown, nieces: Charlene Mitchell, Carita Yvette Walker, Bernadette Carter, and Flecia Gardner, nephew Joseph Singletary. In addition to surrogate grandson Ajay (Farida) Muniganti, brothers-in-law Chappell, Billy and Marcellus, a host of family and friends will all miss him terribly.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Minnie and Lois, nephews, Conrad, Alfred and Othor, niece Jacalyn and longtime loving companion, Doris Martin.

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