Gary Walters

George Gary Walters, beloved husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, teacher, Christian and one of Mississippi’s finest watercolor artists, passed away on August 28, 2026. He leaves behind a legacy of faith, family, art and love for his home state.

Born in 1942 and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Gary discovered his love of art early. His father recognized his talent and encouraged him to pursue it, beginning a lifelong devotion to painting, teaching and sharing the beauty he saw around him.

Although Gary spent two years in Texas, Jackson and Mississippi were always home. He attended Jackson Public Schools before moving to Deer Park, Texas, where he graduated from high school.

Gary studied at Hinds Junior College under Mississippi artists Louis Walsh and Katherine Denton, where he was recognized as the Most Outstanding Art Student. He later attended Mississippi College, studying under Dr. Sam Gore and earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees. During his time there, he received the Bellaman Award as the Most Creative Art Student. In 1993, Mississippi College honored him as its Art Alumnus of the Year, recognizing the career he built as an artist and educator.

Watercolor became Gary’s greatest artistic love. Over more than four decades, he held numerous one-man exhibitions, multiple father/son art shows and became widely recognized as one of Mississippi’s premier watercolorists. His paintings celebrated the Delta, cotton fields, dirt roads, old homes, barns, rivers, churches, trees and the changing light of the Mississippi landscape.

Gary did not simply paint Mississippi; he helped people see it.

His work entered public and private collections throughout the United States and several countries. His paintings and career were featured in Mississippi Magazine, Delta Magazine, The Clarion-Ledger, Scope Magazine, VIP Magazine and on WLBT television.

In 2008, Quail Ridge Press published Gary Walters: Delta Dreamin’, a collection of his watercolor paintings of the Mississippi Delta. In recognition of his contributions to Mississippi through his art and the book, the Mississippi State Senate honored him with a Concurrent Resolution in 2009.

In 2010, Deer Park High School inducted Gary into the Felton F. Waggoner Hall of Honor. He continued to share his art with the Mississippi community, including participating in the Double Decker Arts Festival in Oxford, where he enjoyed bringing his work to one of the state’s most celebrated gatherings of art, music and culture.

Gary continued receiving recognition for his work throughout his later years. In 2023, he was awarded both Best of Show and First Place at the Crosstie Art and Jazz Festival, a fitting recognition of an artist who continued to create and inspire throughout his life.

Gary was also a gifted teacher and mentor. He taught art in Jackson Public Schools, as well as at Mississippi College, Mississippi State University, Hinds Community College and Belhaven University, plus led countless painting workshops. He took great joy in encouraging young artists and sharing the knowledge he had gained over a lifetime.

For all of Gary’s accomplishments, his greatest pride was his family and his faith. He was the beloved husband of Joan Douglas Walters, his wife and lifelong partner. Together they raised four children: William Douglas “Doug” Walters (Kristen), who preceded his father in death in 2024; Daniel McClain Walters (Stephanie); Jill Elise Evans; and Jacob Gary Walters, who followed his father into art. Gary was a proud grandfather who cherished his eight grandchildren and great grandson; he took great joy in watching his family grow.

Gary is survived by his siblings Betty Sue Broomhall and Kathy Allen. He was preceded in death by his father, George “Bo” Walters, mother, Ethel May Smith, and brother, James “Jimmy” Walters (Hazel).

Gary’s Christian faith was central to his life. He believed his talents were gifts from God and that those gifts were meant to be shared with others. These beliefs led him beyond the canvas and into service as an ordained Deacon and Elder for Alta Woods Presbyterian Church, plus numerous mission trips to Crystal, New Mexico and the Navajo Nation. He gave his time, talents and heart to serving others and sharing his faith. These experiences became meaningful parts of his life and reflected the generosity and compassion that he carried with him wherever he went.

He was also a devoted Ole Miss Rebels fan. Fall Saturdays brought together his love of football, family, tradition, friendship and Mississippi. He enjoyed following the Rebels, discussing Ole Miss football and sharing those traditions with the people he loved.

Through Jacob’s career as an artist, Gary had the special joy of seeing his passion continue into another generation. Father and son shared a love of art, Mississippi and the beauty found in its people and places.

Gary once described each painting as “an adventure or trip you have never been on before.” To him, the subject was only the starting point; what mattered was the knowledge, skill and heart the artist brought to it. This philosophy reflected Gary’s life. He took the ordinary and made it beautiful. He found paintings in Mississippi roads, cotton fields, old buildings and evening light, then shared that vision generously with others.

Gary leaves behind more than paintings. He leaves students he taught, artists he encouraged, collectors who will continue to live with his work, a book preserving his vision of the Delta and a body of art that celebrates Mississippi for generations to come. Most importantly, he leaves a family who knew him not only as a celebrated artist, but as husband, Dad, Pa, brother, uncle and friend.

The old roads will still run through the Delta. Cotton fields will still catch the evening light. Trees will still bend over the water, and the Mississippi sky will still change colors at sunset. On Saturdays in the fall, the Rebels will still take the field. In all of those things, there will always be a little bit of Gary.

His life reminds us that beauty is often close at hand if we slow down long enough to see it. He painted with his heart, lived with his heart, served with his heart, loved his family with his heart and left Mississippi more beautiful because he was here.

May his memory be as enduring as the Mississippi landscapes he captured, as warm as the love he gave his family and as lasting as the faith and traditions he cherished. May Jesus welcome him home. George Gary Walters will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered and forever cherished by his family, friends, students, fellow artists and all who were fortunate enough to know him.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Delta Grace: https://deltagrace.org/donate-and-partner-with-us/.

Visitation will be held at Providence Presbyterian Church, 1580 Clinton Raymond Rd, Clinton, MS 39056, on September 3, 2026, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. A Celebration of Life will follow at Providence Presbyterian Church on September 3, 2026, beginning at 11:00 am. Final resting will be at Lakewood Memorial Park South, 430 McCluer Rd, Jackson.