Thomas Boyd Walker

Thomas Boyd Walker

Brevard resident Thomas B. “Tommy” Walker, 82, passed away on January 19^th, 2024 following a brief illness.

A son of the late George Thomas and Frances Eloise Walker, Tom was born in Chattanooga, TN and moved with his family to Brevard, NC in his senior year of high-school. It was then and there that he met the love of his life, DeLaine Mitchell. Tom and DeLaine would marry and raise three wonderful sons while living in Kansas City (KS), Chicago (IL), Los Angeles (CA), and Chadds Ford (PA), before retiring back to Brevard.

He earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Business from Western Carolina College, followed by a Master’s of Business Administration from Widener University later in life.  He enjoyed a long and successful career as an Executive in Sales, Marketing, and Technical roles at DuPont. After retiring from DuPont, he served as Principal Consultant of WalkThenRun, Inc., and then capped off his working life as a Starter at Glen Cannon Golf Club (reportedly his favorite job).

Tom was a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather who, among other interests, possessed a burning passion for golf, a penchant for all things barbeque, and a keen interest in genealogical research.   He was a teacher, mentor, and counselor to his children and adored, and was adored by, his “four-legged” family.

He was preceded in death by DeLaine Mitchell Walker, his beloved wife of 59 years.  

He is survived by his three sons, Chris Walker and wife, Jennifer of Oxford, PA; Patrick Walker and wife, Deanne, of Brookhaven, PA, and Chad Walker and wife, Gillian Andrews, of Wilmington, DE; five amazing grandchildren, Peri, Mackenzie, and Jillian (Chris and Jenn), Mason and Mia (Patrick and Deanne); his sister Carol Taylor, of The Villages, FL and brother David Walker, of Canton, NC; and his sister-in-law Dot Mitchell of East Flat Rock, NC.

He will be deeply missed by his entire family and multitudes of friends alike.

A celebration of Tom’s life is planned in Brevard in the Francis Pavilion of the Paul Porter Center on Brevard College’s campus on Saturday February 3rd, 2024 at 1 p.m., followed by a private celebration to be held in Southeastern PA at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Western North Carolina Wilderness Safety Fund. Contributions to the fund can be made through the mail to WNC Wilderness Safety Fund at PO Box 443, Balsam, NC 28707 or online at http://tinyurl.com/WNC-WSF. The fund administrator requests that a note please accompany all donations.

The care of Mr. Walker has been entrusted to A Simple Cremation and an online memorial register is available at "Obituaries" at https://www.asimplecremationwnc.com