Dear Mom,

How are you doing in Heaven? I know you're probably worrying about something or someone as you are a professional worrier. I hope though that there isn't a lot to worry about up there. How is Dad? I know you are with the "Love of Your Life" again. He probably is still calling you "Glad-Ass". It's so very lonely down here without you, even though I know it was time for you to leave me.
I know you remember all of the little excursions we used to go on. Looking at all of the "open" houses for sale all over town. My God, we must have gone through a thousand houses over the years getting decorating ideas and just being nosy wanting to see how the other half lived. Every Saturday and Sunday after we'd drop Dad off at the golf course we would go to lunch and then go on our excursions. Oh, and don't forget all the rummage sales we went to (I hope they have rummage sales in Heaven). You were so proud of the things you bought for fifty cents even though you really didn't need them. You would bring all the stuff home and place it strategically around the house. It's funny those little trinkets were really what made our house a home.
Remember the time we went to the open house of this huge mansion. We were the first ones to arrive and we couldn't find anybody around, but we heard noises coming from a room at the side of the house down a flight of outside stairs. Remember we cautiously moved down the stairs until we reached the door to this basement entrance. Just as we started to knock on the door we heard a horrible groaning/moaning sound coming from the other side of the door. Well, as you remember we about knocked each other over as were so exhausted, but too tired to still run to where the car was parked, jumped in and speed away as if we had just robbed a bank or something. We talked about that day for years afterwards, still wondering what was in that room making such scary noises.
There are so many memories I have of you that it would take a thousand pages to write all of them down so I'll just end here. Anyways, I just wanted to write to you and tell you how much I have loved you over the years and on how much I still love you. Nothing can take the love I feel for you away from me, not even "Death". I can't tell you how much I miss you. I miss lying on your bed every night and talking to you before you would fall asleep. There was a great sense of security talking to you about everything that was on my mind. You've always been my "best" friend and you will remain so forever. Say "Hi" to Dad for me and tell him I love him. Travis is up there looking for you too; when he finds you give him a big kiss for me.
You know, the world is just not the same without you in it. Stay safe and stop worrying. Your Loving Son, Mike
I have so many memories of Nanaw, all of them wonderful to think back on, following are few. As a girl. I remember getting up in the morning while it was still dark and going with Nanaw to take Papaw to work, or if a weekend morning, to take him to the golf course and then she and I would got to garage sales or to the Goodwill Store. One time at the Goodwill she bought me a turquoise and brown shirtdress with a paisley tie belt and full shirt, my favorite kind, so I could twirl around and make it flare out. She also bought me a huge Tumbelina doll at the Goodwill almost bigger than me at the time. She brought the doll home and washed it and it's clothes to clean it up for me. Even though I had other dresses and dolls bought "new", that dress and that doll were my favorites for years.
As a teenager, I remember trying to teach Nanaw how to do the new dance, the "funky chicken", during one of her visits to West Virginia. We all laughed hysterically as tried to flap her elbows and move her bent knees in and out!
Another fond memory was of brining Adam t Indianapolis to visit when he was a toddler. He always liked the "Mr. Ed" show about the talking horse and his owner, Wilbur, when Adam heard Nanaw called Papaw by his name, Wilbur, she immediately became "Nanaw Ed" to Adam, and has remained so ever since. The name got reinforced when she used her false teeth to make her mouth look like a horse's and then whinny like a horse, I miss her so much! Love Debbie
I have so many memories of Nanaw it is hard to think of just one or two. I guess the first memory I have is she waking me up at 5:00 in the morning, making me "coffee" which was half coffee and milk and sugar. After drinking that, I would accompany her down the "road of no return" to take Papaw to work at the cement plant. After this she and I would spend time driving around or going to the store. just spending time with her is just sitting for HOURS with her at her kitchen table talking about everything. It is at her kitchen table that I learned many important lessons about life and dealt with many problems and feeling that I had about different issues in my life. I always knew that my Nanaw was there to listen to me no matter what I thought or felt.
Most importantly I remember a woman of extreme integrity and loyalty to her husband and family. She was the best person I have known in this world. She never said or did an unkind deed in her life and she looked for the good in everyone. To this day I miss her terribly. Love Kim
Mom was the worrier in the Walker family. She always put Dad, Mike and I ahead of anyone or anything else. Mom would sit in front of the window waiting for Dad to come home for dinner and it would be on the table 10 minutes after he arrived. Most often, when I came home late at night from working or being out, she would get up and ask if she could fix me something to eat before I went to bed.
Her family was her life. I feel fortunate to have had her in my family life for 63 years. Love Jerry
Thank you Mom, yes I always called you Mom, not Gladys, not Nanaw, because you were truly a Mom to me. You taught me so much for so many years and I missed you so much when I wasn't part of your family anymore.
I remember how we delivered newspapers for your paper route along country roads and talked about everything when I was a young, inexperienced bride and how I watched.
Papaw come in from work, wash up, and put his arms around at the kitchen sink to say hello as you were rushing to finish dinner and you would slap his hands and say "Wilbur". You taught me what it was to truly love and to be able to express it.So many fun times that I had never experienced before, hearing you laugh in that throaty way, our trying to learn how to get a hoola hoop to work, teaching me and me learning how to make homemade noodles almost as good as yours. We shared many good memories for over 20 years. I am glad that we were able to see each other and again talk at your kitchen table last year when I visited. It might have been a way of my saying goodbye and to thank you. I will never forget you. You were such an important part of my life, and I thank you for all the love that you gave me over the years. Love, Judy
I have so many memories of Aunt Gladys. She once had a white poodle named "Lady" who was devoted to her. Lady never let her out of sight for a minute. When Aunt Gladys had to get up during the night, Lady would of course, come with her. I can still see Aunt Gladys staggering through the room still half asleep with her sleepy-eyed doggy twin right beside her. I still smile when I think of it.
Also who could forget the ever-changing hair color. Whenever I came to visit she either had a different color or style. It would be pale blonde, brown, black, salt-pepper. Then there were the hairpieces. There was the bun and the infamous piece that sat on top of her head (this was during the blond phase). Uncle Wilbur called it the "cow patty".
Aunt Gladys had such a good sense of humor. It didn't take much to get us all laughing helplessly. It is such a testament to her life, character and personality that she left so many wonderful memories with so many people. Love, Marj