Bennie Walker shares his memories, traditions

By BARBARA GREEN
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Christmas is all about memories and traditions, and no where is that more visible than the home of Bennie Walker as it twinkles and shines with his vast collection of Christmas villages.

As soon as you step into the living room you will hear the happy sounds of toy trains, the swish of an ice skater on a rink and the soft whirl of the ferris wheel from different parts of the holiday town. It is definitely a place where the holidays shine and Walker is happy to share it with his friends and family.

Walker is a longtime Bowie resident and a 30-year retired educator. At 73 he retired twice. He was with the Texas Education Agency, taught at Bowie 13 years, followed by a brief time at Chico before retiring in 2001. In 2002 he returned to teach at Valley View for seven years, before retiring again, and then returning to Valley View.

After retiring again Walker left the school to be available full-time for Mary, and as her illness progressed they decided to move to Missouri, where their oldest daughter’s family lived and she wanted to help care for her mom. Walker says they had planned to stay for a few years, but two weeks later Mary would be gone and Bennie came back to Bowie.

He is a man still grieving for his wife, especially as their 50th anniversary would have been celebrated this year.

“We knew each other six weeks before we got married,” exclaimed Walker. “Two weeks after I met her I asked her to marry me. We were married 42 and a half years when we lost her. She is buried at Truce Cemetery and I usually go out on Sunday.”

Read the full story in the weekend edition of The Bowie News.