Don Walker's Obituary
Don Allen Walker departed this life on June 16, 2023 with his wife of 60 years by his side Born May 25, 1941, in Chicago to Brooksie Pearl Hatfield and Escoe Herbert Walker.
Don was preceeded in death by his parents, brother Wayne Arthur, and in laws William and Mary Alice Rule. Survived by wife Sandra (Rule), daughter Leslie Ann (Tom) Caldwell, son Douglas William (Liz), grandchildren Walker, Griffin, EJ, Adeline and Charlie, and brothers-in-law Larry Rule, Dan Rule (Lori), sister-in-law Nancy White , as well as many nieces and nephews.
Don and his family moved to Decatur when he was in grade school. He attended Decatur High School for two years and was part of the first graduating class at Eisenhower High School. While at Eisenhower, he excelled at basketball and was a leading scorer and captain of the team. He received a basketball scholarship to Millikin University where he continued to excel. He was second-team all conference his sophomore, junior, and senior years and captain his senior year. He finished his basketball career with 1,404 total points which still ranks 14th in all-time scoring at Millikin. He was inducted to the Millikin University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.
After graduating from Millikin, he started his teaching and coaching career at Maroa Forsyth from 1963 to 1966. In 1966, he moved to Lakeview High School where was the assistant basketball and assistant football coach until 1971. He was head basketball coach from 1971 to 1981 where he was the winningest coach in school history. In 1981, he began teaching at Macarthur High School and he became head basketball coach in 1983. He became athletic director in 1988 and retired in 2002. In total, his basketball teams won over 200 games and Don received numerous coaching accolades through years including District, Area and Conference Coach of the Year.
In his spare time, he enjoyed spending time with family, playing golf, and following his beloved Cardinals on the radio.
As a life-long Decatur resident, teacher and coach, he touched many lives and he enjoyed when he ran into his former students and colleagues in town. Don was always thankful for the many relationships he formed, especially with life long friend Steve Hengst.
The family extends their sincere thanks to the dedicated staff at Lincolnshire Place for their exemplary care.
A visitation will be Thursday, June 22nd, 5-7 pm at Graceland-Fairlawn Funeral Home, 2091 N. Oakland Avenue. Funeral Service will be Friday, June 23rd at 10 am at First Christian Church, 3350 N. MacArthur Road where Don and Sandy have been members for years.
Condolences can be made for Don's family at www.gracelandfairlawn.com
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