Eric Francis Walker (Capt.) |
| Posted 2017-02-28 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Tuesday, February 22, 2017, page 10b Capt. Eric Francis Walker, 81, of Prescott, Arizona, departed this life Sunday, Feb. 19, 2017, at his home in Prescott. He is survived by his wife, Sigute Walker of Prescott; son Steven Walker (Danielle); three grandchildren Jonah, 9, Kalem, 6, and Jack, 5, of San Diego, California; stepson Laurynas Surgailis of Santa Rosa, California; and brother William Walker (Joni) of San Diego, California. Eric was born in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1935 and raised in California. He graduated with a degree in chemistry from San Diego State University. While there, he joined the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp and was selected for the United States Air Force pilot training program. He found aviation much more interesting than test tubes. After seven years of Air Force active duty, he decided that commercial aviation was much more conducive to longevity than military aviation, so he joined Trans World Airlines (TWA). As a Captain, Eric Walker flew the New York-Paris route often. He would command a Lockheed L-1011 jumbo-jet from New York’s John F. Kennedy airport in the evening, arriving non-stop at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport the next morning. After debriefing with his company representatives, he’d then check into the crew hotel for a few hours of sleep, and then spend some time visiting the Parisian museums and interesting sights. At the end of the day, and after a full night’s sleep in Paris, he would either turn around, returning to New York, or head south out of Paris for Cairo or Tel Aviv, depending on the requirement of his airlines. Eric liked to add some excitement to his Cairo trips by doing a few figure-eights around the Pyramids so that his passengers could get a good look at those monuments. Air traffic control at that time was rather lax in these parts of the world to allow this slight diversion from the norm. After 31 years with TWA, Eric retired in 1995 as an “International Captain.” Eric and his wife, Sigute, moved from New Mexico to Prescott in 2011 to be nearer their grandchildren. He has been a member of various OLLI programs since 2001. Through the years in OLLI he facilitated classes about weather, aviation and history. For almost 40 years Eric was an active member of Rotary Club in Saratoga, California; Healdsburg California; and Silver City, New Mexico. He held many different positions in Rotary, from Assistant Governor to the Club President. Eric and his wife were Paul Harris Fellows. A memorial service of remembrance will be held at VA Chapel, 500 AZ Highway 89, Bldg. 152, Prescott Arizona, on Saturday, March 11, at 11 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to American Heart Association. Information provided by survivors |
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