Walter Roland Bankston

Walter Bankston passed away on March 9th at 10:28 pm.  He died peacefully with family members at his bedside at Saint James Place in Baton Rouge.  He was born on December 14th, 1931 in Franklinton, Louisiana. He was the second child of Albert Roland Bankston and Marion Blount Bankston.  He married Alice Davis Folkes on March 5th, 1955 at Grace Episcopal Church in St. Francisville, LA.  He graduated from Baton Rouge High School and Louisiana State University, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. He relished his friendship with his DKE brothers and met with them once a month for lunch.  Walter was a general contractor and developer. He developed several subdivisions in Baton Rouge and built countless homes. He was active in the local and national Homebuilders Associations. He started the first "Parade of Homes" show casing new homes for the Baton Rouge area. He was elected president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Baton Rouge in 1965. He served as the Vice President of the National Association of Home Builders in 1974.  He was inducted by Louisiana State University into the Construction Hall of Fame in 1994. He was elected to the Louisiana Home Builders Hall of Fame in 1996.  He was very active in the Episcopal Church serving as Senior Warden of St. James Church. He was part of a small group that conceived the idea for St. James Place and served as a founding member of its board of directors. He also volunteered his expertise and skills to select the site and oversee the design of the Soloman Episcopal Retreat Center in Robert, LA.  In 1989 Walter and Puddin, his wife of 58 years, moved to Fairview Plantation in St. Francisville. They loved the community of St. Francisville and he was very active in Grace Episcopal Church serving on many committees and as Junior and Senior Warden. They belonged to the Felicianians , the oldest supper club in the Felicianas and continued many lifelong friendships forged by Puddin in her childhood.  They spent six months out of each year at their second home in Cashiers, North Carolina, where they made many close friends through their membership in the Colony Club of High Hampton. They were members of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepard and High Hampton Country Club. He was a gracious host and a gourmet cook.   He was an avid gardener and talented woodworker building furniture as a hobby.  He is survived by his four children and their spouses:  Peggy and Joey Gammill, Davis and Kathy Bankston, Elizabeth and Bob Finley, Laura and Benjamin Crooks; ten grandchildren: Charlotte Peno and her husband Justin, Dr.  Allyson Gammill and her fiancé Jarrod Honeycutt, Davis Gammill and his wife Heather, Meg Bankston, Davis Folkes Bankston, Jamie Bankston, Paula Finley, Jessica Finley, Brandon Crooks and Brian Crooks; three great grandchildren: Joey Win Peno, Alice Davis Cavalier and Eleanor Winter Peno. He is survived by his sister Evelyn and her husband, Bud Johnson.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert Roland Bankston and Marion Blount Bankston, his wife Alice Davis Folkes, his sister Barbara Carter and his brother Albert Marion Bankston.  Visitation will be from 9 am until the service at 11 am on Monday, March 16th, at Grace Episcopal Church in St. Francisville.  The service will be conducted by Reverend Roman Roldan, rector of Grace Church, Retired Bishop Charles Jenkins and Retired Bishop James Brown.   Pall-bearers will be his grandsons:  Davis Gammill, Davis Folkes Bankston, Brandon Crooks, Brian Crooks, Jamie Bankston, Justin Peno and Jarrod Honeycutt.  Walter had too many friends to list as honorary Pall-Bearers. The family wants to thank each of them for their help during these trying times.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Folkes-Bankston Educational Fund at Grace Church, P. O. Box 28, St. Francisville, LA  70775.