Alice D. Walker

Alice D. Walker, 87, of Blacksburg, Virginia, completed her earthly mission and went Home to the Lord on Sunday, May 19, 2019.
Known as “Peggy” to her family and friends, she was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, to Helen and Bryan Davis. As a young girl growing up during WWII, she formed a one-member club dedicated to helping others. Her upbringing in that era helped develop her natural gifts of resourcefulness, creativity, graciousness, quiet strength, and dry wit.

Peggy graduated from Montgomery Blair High School in 1949. She married Richard Walker, her seventh-grade sweetheart, on the day they both graduated from the University of Maryland in 1953. Dick and Peg were married for 61 years until his death.

Peggy was a member of Christiansburg Presbyterian Church for 58 years. She was involved in many aspects of church life and taught Sunday School up until 2018. Peggy was a stay-at-home mom, but she wrote book reviews for a newspaper and typed doctoral dissertations for Virginia Tech engineering students. She sewed many costumes for her daughters' dance recitals; volunteered with the local mental health association, Shelter Home, and Girl Scouts; and wrote lyrics for children’s music composed by Dr. Kathryn Obenshain.

Once her daughters were older, Peggy earned advanced degrees from Virginia Tech. She served as Editorial Assistant for the Instructional Development Division of the Learning Resources Center at Virginia Tech and was active in professional organizations including the International Visual Literacy Association and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

Peggy shared her love of learning, love of plants and flowers, and love of family with those around her. She was clever, thrifty, and always willing to help. Her daughters and grandchildren are each blessed to have inherited some aspect of her creative spirit.

Left to continue the mission of serving others are her three daughters: Patty Jordan (Paul), Jean White (Alvin), and Sharyl Ogle (Marcus); six grandchildren: Heather Murphy (Jason), Richard Jordan (Ashtin), David Jordan (Kasey), Catherine Purvis (Michael), Cameron White, and Mariah White; five delightful great-grandchildren; and eleven very dear nieces and nephews.

Opportunity to visit with family and friends of Alice D. Walker will be provided on Friday, June 21, 2019, from 5-8 pm at the Peggy Lee Hahn Pavilion located at 200 Garden Lane, Blacksburg, VA. A memorial service will be held at Christiansburg Presbyterian Church on Saturday, June 22, 2019, at 11:00 am with reception to follow in the Fellowship Hall.

Those wishing to honor the life of Alice Walker with a charitable donation might consider giving to:
Christiansburg Presbyterian Church: 107 W. Main St., Christiansburg, VA 24073;
Virginia Tech Foundation: indicate the Richard and Alice Walker Civil Engineering Scholarship Fund, #887621, in the memo and mail to:
Joe Belcher, 750 Drillfield Drive, 200 Patton Hall, Blacksburg, VA 24061;
The Humane Society of Montgomery County, PO Box 287, Blacksburg, VA 24063