U.S. Veteran
Nathan Roger “Cat” Walker, 90, of Texarkana, Texas died Tuesday, January 30, 2024.
Born on October 19, 1933, in the Eylau community to Willia Richard and Zada Pearl Rachel Walker, he was raised by his mother and stepfather, Ben Webber.
He attended Eylau schools until leaving to enter the US Navy at the age of 17. After his honorable discharge in 1954, he returned to the area to attend Texarkana College and begin his 29-year career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons at FCI-Texarkana. In 1955, he met and married Betty Lou Hollowell and started a family, adding three children. He married Glenda Rainey in 1972, and they were married for 47 years until her death in 2019. He turned down opportunities for transfers and promotions until his youngest graduated from high school in 1978. He and Glenda then moved to Wisconsin to work at FCI-Oxford, followed by FCI-El Reno in Oklahoma, where he retired in 1983 and moved back home to Eylau. After five years of unfettered hunting, fishing, and building a new home, he was lured back into law enforcement as a security officer for Christus St. Michael, retiring again 10 years later.
When he wasn’t reducing the squirrel, deer, or crappie population, he was helping others, whether it be pulling a tooth his granddaughter just couldn’t bring herself to wiggle out, building a shed for his father-in-law or creating a custom solution for a part someone simply could not find. He could build or fix anything. He and his fishing buddies created the perfect hush puppy recipe, and his claim to fame was his ability to skin a squirrel without leaving any hair. His creative gardening techniques will be talked about for generations (but should not be published here). He grew okra, squash, tomatoes, corn, and a little bit of everything. If you knew him or his family, you’ve eaten something from his garden.
A natural storyteller, his time serving in the Navy, hunting and fishing, working for the federal prison system, and transporting witness security prisoners provided him with plenty of material to keep his audiences entertained. If you entered his orbit, you were regaled with stories. Lots and lots of stories. He outsmarted a skunk that happened to find itself incarcerated, and Pyzodie and Boliver, two family dogs turned snake-hunting masterminds, were the subjects of many of his stories. He was never at a loss for words, and his stories are destined to live on through his family and turned into even grander tales.
He is survived by his three children and their spouses, Dennis and Kay Walker of Texarkana, Robin and LeeAnn Walker of League City, and Amy and Mark Roberts of Texarkana. His seven grandchildren, Casey Roberts, Rachel Stowell, Jamie Walker, Lindsey Puckett, Ginger Walker, Julie Walker, and Brittany Seagert called him “Pawpaw” and grew up enjoying four-wheeler rides around the garden with him and watching in amazement as he hand-fed pecans to a squirrel he taught to come in through the window and sit on his lap. He also had nine great-grandchildren and a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He is also survived by siblings Joe Richard Walker, recently of McKinney, Texas, Herman Ray and wife Karan Webber, of Brandon, Florida, Steve Walker of Greenville, Texas, and Jan Woodcock of Glenpool, Oklahoma. He is preceded in death by his wife, parents and siblings Jim Webber, Bettye Jo Wood, and Mary Virginia Trimble.
Over the years, he told his family many times, “I’ve had a good life.” Everything he built physically, but especially the legacy he leaves behind in his family, certainly speaks to a life well lived. The family would like to express appreciation for the compassionate care he received in his final months at the Oaks Assisted Living and to Hospice of Texarkana for their service in the last week of his life.
Visitation will be at Chapelwood Funeral Home on Friday, February 2, 2024 at 10:00 A.M. with services at 11:00. Graveside services will immediately follow at Hillcrest Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Hospice of Texarkana or to St. Jude C
