William "Bill" Leonard Walker

Last Rites Held At LeMars, Ia. for William L. Walker

Last rites for William Leonard Walker, who was killed Dec. 30 in an auto accident near Thermopolis, were held at LeMars, Iowa on January 3.

He was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Walker of Lusk and besides his parents is survived by Miss Beverly Walker of Lusk, Lois Weber of Rawlins and Joyce Rommel of Newcastle.

Mr. and Mrs. Roy Walker, Mr. and Mrs. Weber, Miss Mary Bury, Mrs. Henry Bury, Leonard Siemsen and Miss Beverly Walker all went to LeMars to be present at the services which were held in Mauers Funeral Home. Interment was made in the LeMars cemetery.

At the services John Morton sang "The Lord is My Shepherd" and "One Sweet Solemn Thought". Mrs. Morton accompanied her husband on the piano. The casket bearers were: Homer C. Dumas, Burton Anderson and Donald McKay, all of Remsen, Iowa, Windell Rambath and Bob Badgeron of LeMars, Iowa. William Walker was buried in the family plot beside his Grandmother.

William Walker attended the Lusk schools through the Sixth grade and then attended schools in Minnesota and Iowa.

In June of 1943 "Bill" enlisted in the U.S. Navy and later served aboard the U.S.S. Chester in the south Pacific as a Machinist Mate 2/c. "Bill" saw action all over the Pacific and was in the five largest Pacific battles. He received his discharge in February, 1946.

At the time of his death he was employed an a machinist with the Ohio Oil Co. at the Grass Creek oil field near Thermopolis, Wyo. The Ohio Oil Co. flew the flag at half mast at the Grass Creek camp for one day shortly after Walker's death.

The fatal accident occurred when Walker was starting down a long hill. He evidently started to pass a slower moving truck but a car coming from the opposite direction caused him to move back behind the truck and in so doing he found he was going too fast and smashed into the rear end of the truck. Walker died a few hours later of head injuries.

He had visited his parents in Lusk over the Christmas holidays just a few days before the accident.

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