Walker, Elsie Imogene

Elsie Imogene Walker - age: 94
(September 30, 1916 to November 04, 2010 )
Resident of Ukiah, California

Obituary:
Elsie B. Walker, 94, of Ukiah, California, passed away peacefully on
November, 4, 2010. Born in Placerville on September 30, 1916, she
lived in Orangevale, Folsom, and Cloverdale before moving to Ukiah in
the late 1940s with her husband Kermit L. Brown and their four
children, Mildred, twins Russell and Marilyn, and Walter.

She and Kermit opened Empire Office Equipment, which they operated
successfully for about 15 years. They divorced in 1957 and Elsie later
worked 15 years as a secretary for the Mendocino County Health
Department, earning the Mendocino County Employee of the Year award in
1972, retiring in March, 1978.

In 1959 she married Harold Gallaher, a Ukiah High School teacher, who
passed away in 1962. Elsie married again in 1968, to Howard Walker of
Orangevale, CA, which expanded her family by two stepchildren, Wini and
Johnny, whom Elsie loved dearly. She lost Howard to cancer in 1973.

Elsie had many interests. She was a charter member and past president
of the Ukiah Soroptimist Club, founded in June, 1949, and was actively
involved in the club's many civic projects, including helping establish
and operate the Ukiah Blood Bank program and blood drives for many
years.

She was a member of the Ukiah First Baptist Church and sang in the
choir. She loved music, attending concerts and musical programs in
Ukiah and Santa Rosa. At various times, she volunteered in an adult
literacy program, and also taught in a special program at Ukiah High
School. She completed an Associate's Degree immediately after high
school, and took classes at the University of California Santa Cruz
through their Elder Hostel program while in her late sixties. The
passion of her later years was genealogy, researching her rich family
history, which led to her writing and publishing a book about her
family.

Elsie was the last survivor of seven siblings, and was also predeceased
by her daughter Mildred Carmack and son Russell Brown. She is survived
by her daughter Marilyn Aicardi of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and son
Walter Brown of Montgomery Village, Maryland, and by step-children Wini
Claiborne of Rancho Cucamonga, California, and John Walker of Todos
Santos, Mexico. She is also survived by twelve grandchildren,
including
Peter Brown of Redwood Valley and David Brown of Ukiah, as well as 15
great-grandchildren.

Following a private cremation, friends and family are invited to a
celebration of her life at Henny Penny Restaurant, 697 S. Orchard
Avenue, (at Gobbi St.), Ukiah, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday,
November 11, 2010. Please wear bright colors and a smile. In lieu of
flowers, memorial donations can be made in her name to the Ukiah Senior
Center or the National Law Enforcement Officers' Memorial Fund.

Elsie was known for her independence and the loving support she gave to
her many friends and family members. She will be greatly missed by all
who knew her.