Robert Eugene Walker

Reverend Robert Eugene Walker, 87, went to be with his Lord on Saturday, September 9, 2023, after spending his final days surrounded by loving family members and friends.

Brother Walker preached the gospel for 65 years, after being ordained at the age of 16. His pastorates included Eastland Baptist Church (Memphis, TN), First Baptist Church of Olive Branch (Olive Branch, MS, interim), Temple Baptist Church (Myrtle, MS), Old Oak Grove Baptist Church (Myrtle, MS), Beulah Baptist Church (Myrtle, MS), Springdale Baptist Church (Ripley, MS), White Castle Baptist Church (White Castle, LA), Concord Baptist Church (Booneville, MS), Sunrise Baptist Church (Carthage, MS), Antioch Baptist Church (Florence, MS), Northside Baptist Church (Vicksburg, MS), Mountain Creek Baptist Church (Florence, MS), and then he was called to return to Concord Baptist Church for a second time where he pastored until he retired in September 2017.

Brother Walker was a 1955 graduate of Whitehaven (Tenn.) High School, and a 1964 graduate of Blue Mountain (Miss.) College. He also attended Union University, University of Mississippi, and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Brother Walker was also a school teacher, having taught classes at White Castle (La.) High School, Thrasher (Miss.) High School, and Gray Academy in Ashland, Mississippi. He was a big fan of Pine Grove High School basketball, and his shouts from the stands of “Three seconds!” were familiar to the whole community. He was also a fan of Ole Miss Rebel football, although he loved his grandchildren who supported and attended Mississippi State.

He was an avid genealogist and spent years researching his and his wife’s family trees, successfully tracing their ancestry back many generations in Europe. His research led them to travel to Netherlands, England and Scotland to meet distant relatives and explore their family roots. His love for research led him to write and publish two books: “Mississippi Ozarks: The History of Dry Creek Mississippi and Concord Baptist Church”, and “A Darling Family of Scotland, America and Australia: Alexander Lawson and Janet Bell Simpson Darling: Their Antecedents and Descendants”.

Brother Walker had a great sense of humor, and he loved pranks and practical jokes, especially when it came to his grandchildren. He could always find a quarter in a kid’s ear, and the grandchildren loved to let Pawpaw put one of his parrots on their heads. He loved all children and young people, and Vacation Bible School was one of his favorite church events. He had a beautiful tenor singing voice and could play the piano by ear. He was an animal lover, and two of his favorite things were Pepsi and pie.

Brother Walker, through both his ministry and his everyday life, led hundreds of people to the Lord and positively impacted the lives of thousands over the years. He believed the Bible and taught it faithfully. The words “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” describe his life perfectly, and the family is comforted knowing that he has now received his heavenly reward.

Brother Walker was preceded in death by his parents Sterling Granville and Jessie Eugenia Darling Walker; sister, Kathryn Virginia Walker Lewis; brothers, Sterling Granville Walker, Clarence Saunders Walker, Billy Eugene Melvin Walker, Walter Ray Walker, and Marion Warren (Pete) Walker; great-grandson Mackson Drew Walker.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth (Bettye) Ann Lyle Walker; children, Suzanne Rene Walker Hight (Andrew), Paul Timothy Walker (Laura), Stephen Lyle Walker (Kathy), Robert Andrew Walker (Debbie), and Mark Sterling Walker (Jamie); grand-children Brittany Deanne Davis (Brad), Trenton Cole Walker (Chandler), Katelyn Elise Mooney (John), Jonathan Tyler Walker (Allie), Christopher Logan Walker (Beth), Jessica Bailey Kennedy (Daniel), Andrea Elizabeth Gulley (Jay), Adam Landon Walker (Sara Beth), Courtney Raquel Mathis (Kyle), Jacob Sterling Walker (Leigh), Savannah Kathryn Thornton (Trea); great-grandchildren, Austin Davis, Christopher Davis, Wyatt Walker, Nicholas (Niko) Walker, Lyle Mooney, Noah Mooney, Hudson Walker, Westin Walker, Gannon Walker, Annady Walker, Rylan Walker, Reagan Walker, Strickland Kennedy, Granville Kennedy, Garner Kennedy, Walker Gulley, Lyndon Gulley, Gemma Rose Gulley, Torren Gulley, Ashley Gulley, Mills Walker, Judah Walker, Wilder Walker, Sicily Mathis, Jacob Walker Jr., Thomas Walker, Paisley Thornton, with Sarah Laken Walker and James Thornton IV arriving soon.

A Celebration of Life Service will be at 2:00 P.M. on Thursday, September 14 at McMillan Funeral Home with Brother Marvin Robbins officiating. Visitation will be from 10:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. at McMillan Funeral Home.