Robert Vincent Walko

Robert Vincent Walko, age 94, passed away on Sunday, December 13, 2020, and is now with his beautiful bride of 63 years, Madge Elizabeth Cox Walko. He was born to Otto Vincent and Anna Caroline Walko in Jamaica, New York in 1926. Always a studious boy, he loved reading and playing street baseball. At age 16, he delivered messages between brokerage firms on Wall Street. His co-workers chastised him for running too fast, making them look slow. He was always the fastest kid in the neighborhood; 10¢ movie night every Saturday in the 1930s was his favorite; and he loved the city. As an adult, he carefully trained his daughters and granddaughter how to navigate Manhattan with ease.

After a few beers one Saturday night, he and his buddies decided to test the speed on his father’s brand new Ford on a runway still under construction. But the runway ended abruptly. They all later boasted they were the first ones to ever “fly” at JFK airport.

Seven days after turning age 18, in June 1944, he enlisted in the Navy, eager to join the Pacific Theater in World War II. A diligent signalman on the U.S.S. Perkins, he was halfway between Hawaii and Japan on the destroyer, when a peace treaty was signed. Bob was disappointed to never see actual battle, but he remained a policing agent in Japan until 1946. He described his Navy years as “the time of his life”. After the war, he quickly obtained an accounting degree at New York University (NYU), passed the CPA exam and accepted a job with Seidman & Seidman, CPAs in Memphis. While auditing a drug store, he saw “the most beautiful woman he had ever seen” through the office peep-hole. He offered to prepare her tax return on their first date and they were married a few months later.

Madge and Bob were avid dancers of the Lindy. They enjoyed dancing and dining with friends often, until the pressures of work later absorbed them. He started his own CPA firm on Cooper Street in 1962. Madge later joined the firm as his assistant, writing for him after he broke his collar bone playing touch-football. She became a CPA and as partners, they worked obsessively together for over 30 years. When not preparing tax returns or researching tax law, he was reading Civil War history books, watching World War II movies and trading stocks and commodities on the market. He also obtained a law degree from Southern Law University in his spare time. He ingrained his profession and his work ethic into his daughters, as they too became CPAs. In 1996, Bob joined his daughter, Cindy, at her CPA firm in East Memphis. He continued working every day until the age of 89. He was well-respected as an incredibly intelligent man and could quote tax code with the best. Sadly, Alzheimer's stole that trait in later years, along with his humorous wit.

Bob had a quiet disposition and was usually immersed in factual work or history. He declared everything else a waste of time. But occasionally his quirky sense of humor would emerge and he was hilarious. These moments were rare, but they were the times his grandchildren loved and will remember most about Grandpa.

Bob leaves his brother, Donald Walko of Mission Viejo, California and is predeceased by his sister, Eleanor Walko. He also leaves his daughters, Cindy Walko and Tracy Balton, both of Memphis; five grandchildren, Maria Furlong, Angela Yinger, Julia Robin, Jenna Buonanno and Vincent DeBacco; and six great-grandchildren. A private visitation will be held at Memphis Funeral Home on Sunday, December 20. The graveside service will be livestreamed via www.dignitymemorial.com on Sunday at 1:00 PM.

Charitable donations to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital or the Alzheimer’s Association are appreciated. Bob would have reminded you that those are both tax-deductible.