Lloyd Walker

Lloyd “Smokey” Brooks Walker, 96, of Lake Charles, LA, passed away on Sunday, July 7, 2019 in his residence.

Mr. Walker was born December 4, 1922 in Golden City, MO to Roscoe and Nellie (Bush) Walker. Upon graduating high school, where he was a star athlete in all sports, Lloyd went to work in a dairy farm. When the U.S. joined in World War II, he quickly enlisted in the Army Air Corp. He completed basic training in Atlantic City, NJ and from there was stationed at Chennault Air Force Base in Lake Charles, LA to train on the B-26 Bomber. During WWII, Lloyd was a member of the 432^nd Bombardment Squadron, 17^th Bombardment Group in the European Campaign. He flew sixty-two missions as a tailgunner / engineer on a B-26 Bomber. His missions were in Northern Africa, Corsica, Sardinia, Southern Italy, and Dijon, France in the Battle of the Bulge, bombing ahead of General Patton. Lloyd was awarded “The Air Medal” by the President of the United States and the “Croix de Guerre avec Palme” by the French government.

Once out of the service, Lloyd returned to Southwest Louisiana and went to work as a machinist at Cities Service working his way up to maintenance supervisor. Lloyd retired from Cities in 1982 and later went to work for Precision Services. Lloyd was a charter member and King of the Krewe of Cosmos and he helped design Frasch Golf Course.

When Lloyd finally retired for good, he moved to Weslaco, TX to live among friends at Leisure World retirement village as a “Winter Texan.” During his retirement, Lloyd was active in all sports and excelled in the Senior Olympics, taking top honors every year.

One year ago, in a devastating flood, Lloyd lost his home in Texas so he decided to come back to Lake Charles to live with his family. Lloyd became a member of Eastridge Baptist Church and quickly grew to love the wonderful people there. He joined the weekly bean bag baseball league and this past March participated in the Senior Olympics held at McNeese taking home many gold and silver medals.

Lloyd was an avid golfer his whole life, making multiple holes in one. He was a 32^nd degree Mason and Shriner. He was also a member of the VFW and the American Legion.

Mr. Walker is survived by his sons, Shane (Denise) Walker of Lake Charles and Van (Sharon) Walker of Little Rock, AR; daughter, Joy (Mike) Bollich of Mowata, LA; step-daughter, Darlene (William) Chaumont of Oberlin, LA; mother of his children, Elaine Reed Walker of Oakdale, LA; grandchildren, Julia Walker, Jude Walker, Keenan Walker, London Walker, Payton Walker, Hailey Walker, Brandon Dupont, Mindy Harrington, David Ridgeway, Gretchen Godeaux, Byron Manuel, Heather Manuel, Stephen Manuel, Laci Manuel, Jon Casey, Julie Cardenas, and Jacob Rhodes; numerous great-grandchildren; and sisters, Leona Macklin of Kansas City, Missouri; Shirley McIntyre of Lockwood, Missouri; and Ruthie Hendrickson of Carthage, Missouri.

He was preceded in death by his parents; daughters, Deirdre Jayne Walker, Shara Jane Walker, and Kay Aguillard; sons, Dyke Miller Walker and Steve Aguillard; brothers, Leonard Walker and Gene Walker; and his companion, Mary Casey.

His funeral service will be held at 10:00 AM on Thursday, July 11, 2019 at the Johnson Funeral Home Chapel. Reverend Alan Weishampel will officiate. A graveside service will be held at 1:00 PM on Thursday at Reed Cemetery in Guy, LA. Visitation will be at the funeral home on Wednesday from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM and continue on Thursday from 8:00 AM until the start of the service.

The family would like to thank everyone who visited and cared for Lloyd, especially his caregiver, Ashley Guidry, the staff at Brighton Bridge Hospice, especially Taylor Stroud, Vernon McGuire, Butch and Lily Ryan, Jim Ferguson, Chuck Benoit, Libbie LeDoux, and Danny and JoAnn Cradeur.