Obituary for Rev. John Byron Walker
Obituary – John Byron Walker
10/02/1939 – 01/08/2024
With both sorrow and peace in our hearts, we announce the passing of John Byron Walker of Bonner Springs, Kansas, who met his last days surrounded by the love of friends and family.
John's Celebration of Life Service will be at 11:00 am, Saturday, February 3, 2024 at the Bonner Springs First Christian Church, 148 N. Nettleton Ave, Bonner Springs, KS 66012 where there will be a reception to follow. John's family will also receive friends, prior to the service, at a visitation starting at 10:15 am.
Galveston, Texas, was his birthplace but Enid, Oklahoma, is where his family planted roots. It was a place where he built lifelong friendships – Bob Bish, Stan Unruh, and Bill Green definitely qualify as forever friends – and experienced the blessings and power of community. At the age of fifteen as he provided care for his ailing mother, hospitals, churches, friends, family, and the occasional miracle were there for him when he needed it most, and in many ways he spent the rest of his life paying it forward.
After graduating from Phillips University in Enid, John married his first wife, Billie Anne (Anna), and moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where John entered seminary, became an ordained minister, and they had their first son, Jeff, in 1966. In his ministry, John observed deep poverty along with deep faith in the communities he served and that would forever be imprinted on his heart, but his calling was farther afield. In 1967 the family moved to Japan where John would serve as a missionary until 1982. The family soon grew to four with the addition of Shawn in 1968. Their time in Japan was interspersed with time in Boston as John completed his doctorate at Boston University’s School of Divinity, also where Martin Luther King Jr. studied – a definite point of pride for John. Another highlight of his Boston experience was heading up a local council to demand desegregation in public schools.
John’s mission work in Japan was eclectic. His primary function was to work with Japanese churches and other underrepresented groups, such as the Burakumin and ethnic Korean communities, in social and environmental justice efforts. He often incorporated folk music and his guitar to mobilize college students and others. John’s language fluency reached native levels and he even became a celebrity of sorts, spinning records as a DJ at Japan’s first FM rock and roll radio station, hosting programs of his own design with titles such as ‘Leave it to Johnny’ and ‘POP, STEP, JUMP!’. Supporting peace activists and Hibakusha (A-bomb victims/survivors) in Hiroshima was an enduring passion, and the family would often join John in peace parades and other commemorations. Japan also served as a home base for John as work took him elsewhere. In particular he developed close relationships with Christian activists in South Korea, where John had a few close brushes with the authorities.
Eventually, back pain and required surgeries took a toll, forcing John to slow his pace a little. By 1983 he and his family found a new home and place for ministry at the First Christian Church of Bonner Springs, where he found a community of love, support, and steadfast faithfulness. In 1993 he married his beloved wife, Kathy, and together they selflessly served those around them until his retirement in 2005. John was doubly blessed in his relationship with Kathy as it also resulted in a strong bond between him and Kathy’s daughter, Heather, and eventually Heather’s husband, Todd, as well.
Through his compassion, counsel, humor and unlimited capacity for sincere friendship John left an indelible mark on and was truly beloved by the First Christian Church community. And of course, his reach went beyond the church. He was immensely proud to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Bonner Springs City Library. He always looked forward to emceeing the Tiblow Days Parade, wowing the crowd with the number of ‘groaners’ he could tell while introducing the participants. And John was a regular feature in the Bonner Springs City Band, often pulling dual trombone duty with his son, Jeff. Among many awards, he received recognition from Vaughn Trent Community Services, the Chamber of Commerce, and NAACP. He was particularly proud of the chapel dedicated to his ministry at the church, as well as his Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Achievement Award.
Things may have eased a little in retirement but John’s commitment to local and global activism, community service, and family certainly did not. He stayed plugged into the lives of those around him, being in constant demand for funerals and weddings and continuing to provide counsel to anyone in need. Even a diagnosis of cancer in 2012 could not quash his giving spirit as he turned his hardship into an opportunity to encourage healing in others. And John and Kathy continued to provide loving care to his sister, Kathy Kay, until her passing in 2019. John was also a beloved ‘Papa’ and ‘Grandtets’ to his grandchildren, to whom he read many books (especially the Uncle Wiggly books from his own childhood and selections from his vast joke book archive) and played countless games that he would collect from garage sales and thrift stores.
John did not overwhelm you with his presence. It was his life’s work, his constancy, his dedication that blew you away. He will be remembered for his love of nature, his guitar and songs, his robe and custom made stoles, and the twinkle in his eye. He would never turn down strawberry rhubarb pie, or any pie for that matter. He would never miss an opportunity for a good pun, or a bad pun for that matter. He was passionate about many things but nothing could replace his love for God and the people in his life.
John is survived by his wife Katherine Rickard Walker (formerly Haenisch), his sons John Jeffery Walker and James Shawn Walker, stepdaughter Heather Haenisch Vincent, son-in-law Todd Vincent, daughter-in-law Linda Kramme Walker, and former daughter-in-law Sharli Bledsoe. He also leaves grandchildren Brandilyn and Elliott Walker, Max and Zoe Vincent, Rowan Walker, and Jeffrey Cope.
John was preceded in death by his parents John Hutchinson Walker and Leta Taylor Walker, his first wife Billie Anne (Anna) Walker, as well as by his sister Katherine Kay Walker.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the organizations below, or to a cause of your choosing.
First Christian Church of Bonner Springs (913-441-3876)
Doctors Without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.org)
Jerry Lee Jarrett Life Center (913-449-5265)
Vaughn Trent Community Services (vaughntrent.org)
Cards or other expressions of sympathy can be sent to:
Kathy Walker
PO Box 136
Bonner Springs, KS 66012
10/02/1939 – 01/08/2024
With both sorrow and peace in our hearts, we announce the passing of John Byron Walker of Bonner Springs, Kansas, who met his last days surrounded by the love of friends and family.
John's Celebration of Life Service will be at 11:00 am, Saturday, February 3, 2024 at the Bonner Springs First Christian Church, 148 N. Nettleton Ave, Bonner Springs, KS 66012 where there will be a reception to follow. John's family will also receive friends, prior to the service, at a visitation starting at 10:15 am.
Galveston, Texas, was his birthplace but Enid, Oklahoma, is where his family planted roots. It was a place where he built lifelong friendships – Bob Bish, Stan Unruh, and Bill Green definitely qualify as forever friends – and experienced the blessings and power of community. At the age of fifteen as he provided care for his ailing mother, hospitals, churches, friends, family, and the occasional miracle were there for him when he needed it most, and in many ways he spent the rest of his life paying it forward.
After graduating from Phillips University in Enid, John married his first wife, Billie Anne (Anna), and moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where John entered seminary, became an ordained minister, and they had their first son, Jeff, in 1966. In his ministry, John observed deep poverty along with deep faith in the communities he served and that would forever be imprinted on his heart, but his calling was farther afield. In 1967 the family moved to Japan where John would serve as a missionary until 1982. The family soon grew to four with the addition of Shawn in 1968. Their time in Japan was interspersed with time in Boston as John completed his doctorate at Boston University’s School of Divinity, also where Martin Luther King Jr. studied – a definite point of pride for John. Another highlight of his Boston experience was heading up a local council to demand desegregation in public schools.
John’s mission work in Japan was eclectic. His primary function was to work with Japanese churches and other underrepresented groups, such as the Burakumin and ethnic Korean communities, in social and environmental justice efforts. He often incorporated folk music and his guitar to mobilize college students and others. John’s language fluency reached native levels and he even became a celebrity of sorts, spinning records as a DJ at Japan’s first FM rock and roll radio station, hosting programs of his own design with titles such as ‘Leave it to Johnny’ and ‘POP, STEP, JUMP!’. Supporting peace activists and Hibakusha (A-bomb victims/survivors) in Hiroshima was an enduring passion, and the family would often join John in peace parades and other commemorations. Japan also served as a home base for John as work took him elsewhere. In particular he developed close relationships with Christian activists in South Korea, where John had a few close brushes with the authorities.
Eventually, back pain and required surgeries took a toll, forcing John to slow his pace a little. By 1983 he and his family found a new home and place for ministry at the First Christian Church of Bonner Springs, where he found a community of love, support, and steadfast faithfulness. In 1993 he married his beloved wife, Kathy, and together they selflessly served those around them until his retirement in 2005. John was doubly blessed in his relationship with Kathy as it also resulted in a strong bond between him and Kathy’s daughter, Heather, and eventually Heather’s husband, Todd, as well.
Through his compassion, counsel, humor and unlimited capacity for sincere friendship John left an indelible mark on and was truly beloved by the First Christian Church community. And of course, his reach went beyond the church. He was immensely proud to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Bonner Springs City Library. He always looked forward to emceeing the Tiblow Days Parade, wowing the crowd with the number of ‘groaners’ he could tell while introducing the participants. And John was a regular feature in the Bonner Springs City Band, often pulling dual trombone duty with his son, Jeff. Among many awards, he received recognition from Vaughn Trent Community Services, the Chamber of Commerce, and NAACP. He was particularly proud of the chapel dedicated to his ministry at the church, as well as his Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Achievement Award.
Things may have eased a little in retirement but John’s commitment to local and global activism, community service, and family certainly did not. He stayed plugged into the lives of those around him, being in constant demand for funerals and weddings and continuing to provide counsel to anyone in need. Even a diagnosis of cancer in 2012 could not quash his giving spirit as he turned his hardship into an opportunity to encourage healing in others. And John and Kathy continued to provide loving care to his sister, Kathy Kay, until her passing in 2019. John was also a beloved ‘Papa’ and ‘Grandtets’ to his grandchildren, to whom he read many books (especially the Uncle Wiggly books from his own childhood and selections from his vast joke book archive) and played countless games that he would collect from garage sales and thrift stores.
John did not overwhelm you with his presence. It was his life’s work, his constancy, his dedication that blew you away. He will be remembered for his love of nature, his guitar and songs, his robe and custom made stoles, and the twinkle in his eye. He would never turn down strawberry rhubarb pie, or any pie for that matter. He would never miss an opportunity for a good pun, or a bad pun for that matter. He was passionate about many things but nothing could replace his love for God and the people in his life.
John is survived by his wife Katherine Rickard Walker (formerly Haenisch), his sons John Jeffery Walker and James Shawn Walker, stepdaughter Heather Haenisch Vincent, son-in-law Todd Vincent, daughter-in-law Linda Kramme Walker, and former daughter-in-law Sharli Bledsoe. He also leaves grandchildren Brandilyn and Elliott Walker, Max and Zoe Vincent, Rowan Walker, and Jeffrey Cope.
John was preceded in death by his parents John Hutchinson Walker and Leta Taylor Walker, his first wife Billie Anne (Anna) Walker, as well as by his sister Katherine Kay Walker.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to one of the organizations below, or to a cause of your choosing.
First Christian Church of Bonner Springs (913-441-3876)
Doctors Without Borders (doctorswithoutborders.org)
Jerry Lee Jarrett Life Center (913-449-5265)
Vaughn Trent Community Services (vaughntrent.org)
Cards or other expressions of sympathy can be sent to:
Kathy Walker
PO Box 136
Bonner Springs, KS 66012