Albert Walker Jr.

Albert Winslow “Al” Walker Jr., 83, said good-bye to life at 4:19 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16th, 2022. He was in his beloved home, a few days shy of his 84th birthday. Just weeks before that, he had made it very clear to his caregiver and to his TV (that he pushed over) that he was to pass from the comforts of his home and not, with hospice. For those that didn’t know him well, Albert Winslow Walker Jr. was born on March 19, 1938 in Oklahoma City, OK, and he was the son of the late Albert Woodrow Walker and Myrtle Rose Coffey Walker. He had an ornery side, and when he said “No” to something, he said it not with volume, but with a quiet certitude that implied that there ain’t nothin’ that could shift him off that No! He loved a good party too. When the spirit of a Happy Moment moved him, he would do this shuffle with his feet and his arms bent in unison, slowly shaking his behind side-to-side, with a twinkle in his eye. He loved the holidays, and big celebrations full of happy people caused an extra spring in his step. However, that joy was made even greater by the satisfaction he received from offering the place for the party rather than being the life of it. He was a "work hard, and then even harder, and play sometimes", kind of man. Perhaps being born during the depression made him that way. Every morning after a hearty breakfast, he was off building upon his No. 9 Marina. He and his late wife, Gerry, had a dream of owning a marina and travelled from California to Oklahoma searching for just the right place. They scooped up No. 9 Marina in 1971 and built it up into one of the largest, most fun places for lake life that Lake Eufaula had ever seen. From bait, burgers, and water-toys for days to dry storage, fancy docks, a service shop like no other, and oh the July 4th parties, he created a Marina that left joyous memories in everyone. He was honored as one of the Founding Fathers of the Oklahoma Marina Association. I’ll bet the Corps of Engineers will never forget Captain Al. He was a self-made man, and he taught himself everything he needed to know. He was determined, and he never gave up on his and Gerry’s dream. Even when he didn’t know the path, he kept going, keeping his eye on his goal. Above all things, he was sovereign. He lived life on his own terms. You knew where you stood with him too, and he did not mince words. Principle was his core, and he could sniff out BS from a mile away. He loved a quote from Calvin Coolidge called " Press On". It hung on the wall of his house for most of his life. It read, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” To the man that loved a homemade meal, cherry pie, liverwurst sandwiches, his many, many dogs, “Shorty” as he called his wife Gerry, Lonesome Dove (or any other Western, for that matter), and building fires at night in the hearth of his home, he will live on in our memories. He will be missed. Yet we know he would expect us to "Press On", because that’s what he would have wanted. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Gerry Virginia Ball Walker, a brother, William Thomas Walker, youngest brother Ronald Loyd Walker, and his son Jeff Charles Walker. He is survived by his brother Terry Lee Walker, his daughter Sheryl Walker Paul and her husband Bob Paul, his daughter-in-law Judy Lee McClaskey-Walker, his stepson Ricky Wayne Sparks, his stepdaughter Stacy Ann Sparks, and his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. To those who knew him and loved him, your prayers and thoughts are appreciated.