Eugene Walker

April 14, 1927 - February 24, 2017

Eugene Walker Jefferson, Iowa Date of Death: February 24, 2017 Memorial services for Gene Walker, 89, of Jefferson, will be held at 10:30am Tuesday, February 28, 2017 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jefferson. Visitation with the family will begin at 9:30am Tuesday at the church. Burial will be at the Scranton Township Cemetery at 1:00pm Tuesday. Eugene James Walker, only child of James and Mary (Field) Walker, was born on April 14, 1927. The descendant of Irish/Canadian immigrants, he was raised on a farm near Cooper, IA. As a young boy, he attended Catholic boarding school in Carroll. He later attended school in Scranton and began farming with his father, Jim, in 1944. He married Betty Jean Shaffer on January 14, 1946 and they had five children. Gene married Kathy (Remund) Weddle on February 15, 1992. Gene loved to farm and visit about weather and politics. He also was a pilot of a Piper Cherokee airplane, went boating and skiing with his family on weekends and in later years enjoyed restoring old cars and tractors. He farmed for over 70 years and was a Garst & Thomas seed corn grower. He sat on the West Central cooperative Board for 20+ years and was a member of the Brenton Bank Board in Jefferson, IA. He also raised feeder pigs and cattle. In the early years of his farming career, he traveled by train to sell cattle at the Chicago Stockyards. A favorite pastime of his was to drive his pickup around every day checking his crops. He also enjoyed spending winters in Arizona. Gene passed on February 24, 2017, at St. Anthony’s Nursing Home in Carroll, Iowa. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Jim & Mary Walker; his first wife, Betty; his son, Jim; and his grandson, Erik Walker. He is survived by his wife Kathy of Jefferson, IA; his children, Jerry (Julie) Walker of Fishers, IN; John “Jack” Walker of Guthrie Center, IA; Linda (John) Mertz of West Bend, IA; Becky (Dave) Wolf of Scranton, IA. His step-children, Kerry (Craig) Hastings of Perry, IA; Joe (Tracy) Weddle of Minburn, IA; Andy (Kathy) Weddle of Pleasant Hill, IA; and Aaron Weddle of Ankeny, IA. Also surviving him are 15 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.