Travis Dean Walker

Travis Walker enjoyed 90 wonderful years before passing on August 30, 2026. He lived in the hills of Austin, near his son Brian Walker's family. Born in Shongaloo, Louisiana in 1936, Travis was the 4th child of Calvin and Zera Walker. He and his siblings - Francille, Tille, Larry, and Sue - grew up on the family farm, tending to crops and livestock and attending school in nearby Springhill, Louisiana.

After high school, Travis served in the US Army from 1959 to 1978. Though he would never reveal what he did, we know that he served in top-secret assignments in the National Security Agency (NSA). He was an electronic warfare expert specializing in interception, deception, and jamming. He was maddeningly committed to honoring his secrecy pledge, depriving the family of the juicy details of his assignments. The family pieced together that he likely was assigned by the NSA to support the CIA in his postings at US embassies around the world and in his deployments to major defense contractors as they developed new generations of electronic warfare technology. When asked about any of this, he would just give a wry smile…saying nothing and irritating his family to no end!

He served proudly in Vietnam, earning a Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, along with other awards. Normally stoic and composed, he would get misty-eyed when talking about friends he lost during their dangerous low-level flights over enemy territory. That's where he learned the expression: "…there are OLD pilots and there are BOLD pilots, but there are very few OLD BOLD pilots…". He always wanted to fly with OLD pilots…!

Travis married his high school sweetheart and Homecoming Queen - Ida Lavonia McDuffie in 1957. They had two children, Brett and Brian. The family moved frequently with changing Army assignments, living in Ankara, Turkey; Washington DC (twice); Madrid, Spain; Boston, Massachusetts; and Bossier City, Louisiana.

Travis remarried in 1972 after meeting Mary Carolyn Smith at a party in St. Louis. Travis thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, and Carolyn thought he was the most dashing man she'd ever met. They were married nearly 50 years before we lost Carolyn in 2020 to cancer. Carolyn had two children of her own, Sheri Thurston and John Thurston, and the family lived in El Paso, Texas, as well as Rabat, Morocco, until Travis' retirement from the Army in 1978 when they moved to Desloge, Missouri - Carolyn's hometown.

After retiring from the Army, Travis got what he described as a "miracle job" - teaching business courses at Mineral Area College (MAC) in Desloge, Missouri. He had just finished his master’s degree in business and was amazed to find a job that took advantage of his skills and allowed him to teach at a college level. And to top it off, it was literally in his backyard - in Carolyn's hometown. Teaching came easily to him, and he established a reputation as a patient and supportive teacher. When computers emerged in the 1980s, he was asked to launch the college's computer systems - not only teaching the first computer courses but also buying and running the entire campus' computer network. He quickly had two full-time jobs and spent the last years of his career focused solely on managing the computer systems in a job now called Chief Information Officer (CIO), though he referred to himself as "the computer guy".

Travis and Carolyn retired together around 1996 and built their dream home on Terre du Lac outside Bonne Terre, Missouri. Their lake house was "grandkid bait" that Carolyn designed to lure all the grandchildren for frequent visits - and it worked. A little over an hour from St. Louis, the lake house drew Carolyn's daughter Sheri and her husband John, along with their children - Sara, Mary, and Johnny - for many weekends on the lake fishing, water skiing, playing golf, and enjoying the beautiful view.

Every year, Travis and Carolyn hosted family reunions with family converging from all over the country. Those reunions were a special source of pride for Travis. In his mind, these were one of the proudest achievements in his life. He loved seeing the family together and having fun, golfing, water skiing, and eating, always eating! It was very important to him that there was a way to get together in-person so the family could actually know each other. His mom & dad's farm had been the meeting place for his generation, and he wanted to provide a similar location for "the cousins" in the next generation. He was proud to see that they not only connected at the reunions but stayed in touch via phone, texting, social media, etc.

After losing Carolyn in November 2020, Travis stayed at Terre du Lac until November 2023, when he realized he needed a bit more help. He was truly a role model in aging gracefully, asking for help when he needed it, but trying to remain as independent as possible. When he moved to Texas, he had the chance to really get to know his son Brian's family - his wife Norma and children Emily, Nicole, and Jack. Before this time, visits were typically jam-packed reunion weeks in Missouri once a year. Those were wonderful but there was little time to just "be". When Travis asked for help and moved down to Texas, it was truly a gift to Brian's family. They watched 'Wheel of Fortune' faithfully every day, Norma doing crossword puzzles while Travis watched sports. Travis came to truly know and love Norma for the wonderful woman that she is. She loved doting on him - serving him ice cream every night and nagging him to do his puzzles to keep his brain sharp. If Brian couldn't get Travis to cooperate on something around the house, all he had to do was threaten to tell Norma and Travis straightened right up…with a loving laugh.

Travis will be sorely missed, but it was time. He had a wonderful life but was frustrated with his aging body and was looking forward to seeing Carolyn again. The family is sure that somewhere, they're together with family and friends who have left us - having a wonderful time and enjoying the memories they made together!

Travis will be placed alongside Carolyn in Bonne Terre, Missouri. The interment will be at 11:00am on October 3rd, 2026 at St. Francois Memorial Park. A celebration of life for both Travis and Carolyn will follow immediately at the Terre du Lac Country club.