Bill Walker

Celebration of Life William (Bill) Aloysius Walker, Jr., age 86 of San Antonio, Texas, died peacefully on January 7 th, 2021. He was born on October 14 th, 1934 in Chicago, Illinois and is survived by his wife of 33 years Karen Seiler Walker. Bill was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois through the 8 th grade. As a young Chicagoan and baseball fan, Bill developed a love for the Cubs. After the 8 th grade, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, and attended Christian Brothers High School where he excelled in basketball and golf. After high school, he joined the Army during the Korean War and served as a clerk at the SHAPE NATO headquarters in Fontainebleau, France. After military service, he married Susan Tharp Walker in 1958 and attended the University of Texas at Austin. He graduated from Memphis State with a B.S. degree in Physical Education / Education in 1962. Then, Bill's coaching career started with a position as swim coach with the Jewish Community Center in Memphis and was instrumental in building their swim program. In 1967, he coached high school basketball in Mercedes, Texas. In 1968, he coached and developed the AAU Harlingen Swim Team while also coaching at the Marine Military Academy and Harlingen High School. A proud moment as a swim coach was the AAU swim team finishing 3 rd in the TAGS state championship meet with his swimmers from Harlingen, which was unprecedented for such a small team to finish that high in the team standings! In 1970, he joined San Antonio's North East Independent School District (NEISD) as Aquatics Coordinator and head swim coach over all of the NEISD high schools. He was also head swim coach for the AAU San Antonio Aquatic Club (SAAC), and used his passion to develop the Learn to Swim program for all 3 rd graders in the school district. In 1976, he moved to McAllen where he was given the same responsibilities as his previous duties in San Antonio. He was able to continue with his passion of teaching children to swim while he was head high school coach at McAllen High School and head swim coach for the AAU McAllen Swim Club. He had many fond memories of his time coaching in the Rio Grande Valley and loved the people and living in that part of Texas. Returning to San Antonio in 1982, he resumed his previous duties as Aquatics Coordinator for NEISD until he retired in 2001. Bill earned many, many awards including Coach of the Year several times. He was very proud to have taught more than 300,000 children how to swim through the Swim America program. Along with the people he encountered in his career, his greatest honor and legacy is the Bill Walker Pool at NEISD in San Antonio. Bill loved playing cards, especially duplicate bridge and became a Life Master at age 29, and eventually Emerald Life Master. Bill volunteered at the Bexar County Jail for many years, teaching Centering Prayer and leading AA 12 Step Meetings - as he proudly celebrated 35 years of sobriety himself. He is survived by his wife Karen Seiler Walker, sister Jean Kopsky, sister in law Mary Jo Walker and former wife Susan Tharp Walker. His surviving children by Susan Tharp Walker are Christy Walker, Gregg Walker, Randy Walker, Sabra Walker Nelson, Sean Walker and Chip Walker; daughters-in-law Chris Walker, Elizabeth Walker and Sue Donarski Walker; son-in-law Daniel Nelson; grandchildren Jake Walker, Becky Walker, Evan Walker, Bailey Walker, Ella Nelson, Zachary Hall and Madison Hall; great grandchildren Luke Walker and Blake Walker. His surviving step-children are GK Parish-Philp; Stephen Philp and Dana Schmit, and 6 grandchildren. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He is preceded in death by his father William A. Walker, Sr. and mother Catherine Bracken Walker; brother, John B. Walker and sister Joan Walker Lee; brothers in law Boyd J. Lee II and John Kopsky. Bill will be dearly missed by his family and friends. He treasured all of the people he met and knew both personally and professionally. Bill will be buried with military honors at Fort Sam Houston. Due to COVID-19, the graveside will be limited to immediate family members. We plan to have a memorial service in the Summer or Fall of this year, when it is safe for everyone to travel and gather. Please leave your memories online and get updates about the memorial service here: gatheringus.com. God, grant me the Serenity To accept the things I cannot change... Courage to change the things I can, And Wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace. Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it. Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will. That I may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen