Genie Walker obituary: She always had room for one more friend

Emagene Faye Walker (Genie) died peacefully in her home on October 3, 2008. She was born on March 31, 1925 in Dodge City, Kansas to Ernest Caleb Martin and Ella Mae Havercroft Martin. She grew up on a ranch southeast of Dodge City where they raised cattle and ran a dairy. This dairy supplied milk, cream and butter to the Dodge City Fred Harvey House of the Santa Fe Railroad. She was extremely active in 4-H and won numerous awards, most notable was being named twice as the National Champion in Safety and Conservation when conservation and recycling were so important to the war efforts. In 1942 and 1943 she traveled by train on all expense paid trips to the National 4-H Convention in Chicago. She also was able to attend Kansas State University on a 4-H scholarship due to her outstanding accomplishments. Gene was a member of the Chi Omega sorority and majored in home economics. It was there she met the love of her life, a young veterinary student, Earl Raymond (Doc) Walker. They married in Dodge City on June 17, 1945 and immediately moved to Pawhuska, Oklahoma establishing a large and small animal veterinary practice. Over the next six years three daughters were born: Ray Anne, Martha (Marty) and Judy. In August, 1952, Genie and her family moved into the home she designed and decorated. The house was always full of their friends because "There was always room for one more." Her home filled to overflowing with many happy memories for 57 years. She was preceded in death by Doc who died December 4, 2006. Genie was very active in the First Presbyterian Church where she taught Sunday School and also Bible School each summer. The children of the church always enjoyed the annual Easter Egg hunt held south of the family home. There were always prize eggs and ice cold Love pop. Some of the community activities Genie was involved in were: PEO Chapter P, Christ's Cupboard, Meals on Wheels and the Altar Guild of the Pawhuska Catholic Church. She was one of the co-founders of Christ's Cupboard and enjoyed being treasurer for many years. She was a very spirited fan of Pawhuska football, basketball and wrestling. Many Friday nights, Genie would go by the office, get Doc and away they would roar to the game, be it football or basketball, with a car load of kids and a bag of Murphy's hamburgers. Some of her favorite sporting memories were of the Huskies trips to the state basketball tournaments. K-State football, women's basketball and volleyball were very exciting to her. She loved to tailgate and would always go through her recipes hunting for the perfect recipe for "The Game." Doc and she traveled for many years to the Southwest states collecting Indian art which they used to decorate and furnish their home. She loved to be outdoors and enjoyed gardening, bird watching and fishing. Art exhibits at Gilcrease, interior design and architecture were always of interest to her, along with collecting works of regional artists such as Charles Banks Wilson and John Free. Genie was a very kind and compassionate person and always put others before herself. She truly believed in the phrase: "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." Her unselfish, positive attitude endeared her to her family and friends every day of her life. She is survived by the following family members: Three daughters and their spouses: Ray Ann and Robert Cocanower of Ft. Worth, TX; Martha (Marty) and Richard (Dick) Dixon of Topeka, KS; and Judy Walker of Pawhuska, OK; She had three grandsons: Robert Craig, Brett Walker and Chase Dunlavy Cocanower; And one granddaughter: Amber Burkardt. Genie also had four great grandchildren: Hannah Louise and Kristoffer Alan Burkardt; and Charlie Walker and Zac Austin Cocanower; In addition, she leaves her beloved chocolate Labrador Retriever, Osage. Memorial services will be held Tuesday, October 7, at 10:00 AM at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church of Pawhuska. Father Chris Daigle will officiate. McCartney's Johnson Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.