Dr. Jackson Kyle Walker

Dr. Jackson Kyle Walker, 84, of Waco, passed away in Dallas on Friday, April 21, 2017. Memorial services will be 2 p.m., Saturday, May 6, at Wilkirson-Hatch-Bailey chapel. The family invites all to attend, and will look forward to visiting with you. Jack Walker was born on December 17, 1932, in Waco, Texas, to Gerald Jackson (Jack) and Kyle Walker. He attended Rice University in the pre-med program for three years before being accepted into the University of Texas, Galveston Medical School, from which he graduated in 1957. He earned his Masters in Hospital Administration in 1967 from Baylor, Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. He always said he had a hard time explaining how he had a Masters degree and no undergraduate degree. He was in the Army from 1958 – 1969, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Medical Corps. During his service he was Commanding Officer of the 93rd Evacuation Hospital in Long Binh, Vietnam, at the young age of 35. He served as Commander during the Tet Offensive. During his service in Vietnam, he earned the Soldier’s Medal – the highest honor the Army bestows for an act of valor in a non-combat situation. Other decorations he received during his service for his country were the Army Commendation Medal and the Legion of Merit. Dr. Walker moved his family back to Waco in 1969 to establish and direct the Family Medical Practice Residency Program which he directed until 1972. He was incredibly proud of this accomplishment. He practiced Internal Medicine in Waco for 46 years and retired at the age of 82. He was certified and recertified two more times by the American Board of Internal Medicine. From 1993-2014 he was Chairman of the Providence Health Alliance. His great love for medicine, his patients and the Providence system defined his life and gave it much meaning. Jack had a passion for golf, making his first of several hole-in-ones at Ridgewood Country Club as a young teenager (though Pro Otis Beck would not believe our dad – only his sister, and fellow witness, Betty Kyle Moore, could convince Beck). He is survived by his devoted golfing partner of 40+ years – Dr. Stanley Hersh. Heaven help anyone that ever messed with these two guys on the golf course. He and his deceased wife of 58 years, Billie Ruth Walker, were die-hard Baylor Women’s and Men’s Basketball fans, and they rarely missed a game in 30+ years. Our father dearly loved his grandchildren, who all called him Jack (we didn’t plan that but a grandson made that choice for us). He was famous for his bedtime stories, golf cart rides and giving them forbidden treats behind their parents’ backs. He had a great love for all animals and reading, which he passed on to all of us. How to sum up a life? Dad said it best, and in his own way, in a letter to a grandson regarding the death of a beloved pet: “As a doctor, I should have some wise words to explain life and death. But there aren’t any. In its simplest form – we are born, we live, we die. It is that simple, but also that complex. We endure in memory.” You endure in our memory, Dad. We will love and miss you always. He is survived by daughter, Jennifer Walker; son, Brad Walker and wife, Lisa; son, Jim Walker and wife, Marie; grandchildren, Jordan Walker, Austin Walker and wife, Anne, Christian Walker, Samantha and Caroline Walker; and sister, Betty Kyle Moore. In lieu of flowers, the family ask that memorials be made to the charity of your choice.