Marion Walker

Born March 17, 1929 in Orange, NJ, she was the daughter of Madison Whitten and Margaret (Hamilton) Banton. She grew up in Summit, NJ, and attended Summit High School. She received her undergraduate degree at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA, and went on to attend Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY.

While at Mount Holyoke, she met her future husband and fellow traveler, Jim, who attended Amherst College. They married in 1952 and settled in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where Jim was stationed at the time. Jim’s career with Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. then took them to Marblehead, MA, Topsfield, MA, Orange, CT, Stamford, CT, Malvern, PA, and Dallas, TX. With each new location, Marion not only raised her three children but also settled right in as a vital participant in the local church, school, and civic communities.

Marion and Jim and children spent many happy summers in Chatham since 1955, as visitors to her parents in Harbor Coves, and then as summer residents since 1966. They retired to Chatham in 1991. They enjoyed many years out on the waters of Pleasant Bay, around Strong Island, the Outer Beach, Monomoy Island and Stage Harbor. Marion was an avid tennis player and long–time member of the Chatham Beach and Tennis Club and Chatham Platform Tennis Association. She was once an integral member of the Chatham Congregational Church serving as church schoolteacher and church librarian. In her later years, she loved serving the Chatham Historical Society as a docent at the Atwood House Museum. She also spent lots of time with all of her furry friends along the way.

Marion is survived by her three children, James L. (and his wife, Emily) Walker, Jr. of Brockton, MA, Margaret E. Walker of West Chatham, MA, Elizabeth S. Walker of Harvard, MA, and granddaughter, Abigail E. Devin of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Marion will be interred in a private service in August. A memorial service for Marion will be held Sunday, September 22, 2013, at 2 pm at the First United Methodist Church, Chatham, where long-time family friend, Nancy Bischoff, is the pastor. First UMC is located at the corner of Main and Cross Streets. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Broadreach Healthcare at Liberty Commons and at The Victorian, 390 Orleans Road, North Chatham, MA 02650 or to First United Methodist Church, 16 Cross Street, Chatham, MA 02633. The family is especially grateful to the staff and friends at The Victorian - where Marion made her home since her husband, Jim’s, death in 2010 - for their loving care, support and loyal devotion during the final chapter of her life here with us. She will be missed.