| Jimmy Lawrence Walker |
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Jimmy Lawrence Walker, 'Jim' , 82, of Sherrills Ford, NC, died Saturday, May 18, 2013, at Mooresville Center Genesis, following a brief illness. He was born on October6, 1931, in Casar, NC, to the late James Lawrence Walker and Minnie Ivester Walker. Jim was raised in the foothills of Cleveland County with his sisters Mildred and Betty, and his cousin, the late Bon Lee Walker.
Jim graduated from high school in Shelby. With a gift for drawing and natural curiosity for how things worked, he developed a great knack for fixing things. These traits served him well when he joined the Air Force after graduation from high school. Stationed for 2 years in Juno, Alaska, he married his high school sweetheart, Bonnie Ledbetter
on his first leave home.
After the service, Jim attended Appalachian State College; worked as a longshoreman in Baltimore with his brother-in-law, the late Truman Strawsburg; and then settled back home in Shelby when his son, Jimmy, was born. Trained in electronic repair, he crisscrossed western North Carolina from Vale to Dirty Ankle and beyond - repairing
irons, radios, televisions and toasters; often paid in sacks of apples or baskets of eggs. He was employed by Lowes, Inc. and later worked as a foreman for the State of North Carolina. After retirement, Jim took up woodworking. In less than a dozen years,
he built furniture for family and friends across the region. His hand-crafted cabinetry, boxes, pie safes and wardrobes were made entirely of reclaimed wood and each had his special signature hidey hole.
Jim Walker cherished his wife and son, took great pride in the colorful history of his family, and he loved his friends. He never missed an opportunity to thank someone who had done him a kindness, however small.
Jim is survived by his son, Jimmy; sister, Mildred E. Walker Strawsburg and her daughters, Gail, Janice, Joyce, and son, Tommy; sister, Betty Walker Gibbs and children, Nancy Newton, Linda Means and husband Tim,and son Ricky Gibbs and wife Sharon; and all the offspring of the great Walker Clan of Cleveland County.
Visitation: The family will receive friends from 1-2 p.m. Friday, May 24, 2013 at the Chapel of Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home and Crematory, Shelby, N.C.
Funeral Service: 2 p.m. Friday at the Chapel. Internment will follow
at Sunset Cemetery, Shelby. The family requests in lieu of flowers, donations should be made to Eastside Baptist Church, 1165 Wyke Rd, Shelby, North Carolina 28150.
Cecil M Burton Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the family of Mr. Walker.
Guest Registry is available at www.cecilmburtonfuneralhome.com
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