Anita Blackburn Walker

Anita Joyce Blackburn Walker was born on February 3, 1938, in El Dorado, Arkansas. She was raised in Magnolia by her mother, Marie Cox Blackburn, joined later by her stepfather, Manson Grant.In high school, she met a dashing young man, Larry Walker, when her church youth group visited another church in northern Louisiana. They married just days after her graduation from Magnolia High School in 1955.Their early years together took them from Louisiana to Chicago and Indianapolis before settling in El Paso, Texas, during Larry’s Army service. They were in no rush to start a family, instead enjoying weekends water skiing with friends and dining in Juárez, Mexico. Anita worked at a bank while Larry launched new franchises across the country for Continental Water Conditioning.In 1970, they struck out on their own, opening a Continental Water franchise in Detroit, Michigan. They packed their belongings, two young daughters, and George the dog into a moving van and station wagon and headed for the Motor City. Left behind were their 1965 convertible Ford Mustang and Anita’s Fiesta dinnerware—both now treasured antiques and the source of a frequently retold family story.West Bloomfield became their home, in a county known for its 387 lakes. The family quickly embraced lake life, finding a used ski boat and joining a boat club where they spent nearly every summer weekend. Their daughters, Denise and Karla, soon became avid water skiers.Winters in Michigan, however, inspired a new adventure. Anita and Larry took up snow skiing, enrolling the girls in ski school and learning alongside them. Anita especially loved the green runs at Keystone and Copper Mountain in Colorado. Ski trips out West became a favorite family tradition, continuing into their years as empty nesters.After selling the business in 1985, Anita and Larry purchased a “fixer-upper” in Morrilton, Arkansas. What began as a winter retreat became their full-time home in 2004—a grand old house spanning three city blocks that they lovingly restored over two decades.While raising her children, Anita worked part-time—first as an office manager for a snow-melting company and later as an independent contractor for a garment representative.Anita was an avid gardener, with a special love for hostas, daylilies, iris, roses, and tulips. Her daughters continue to grow and cherish the flowers passed down from her gardens.Her greatest joy, however, came from her civic and church involvement. Anita was a longtime member of P.E.O. in both Michigan and Arkansas and participated in several local garden clubs. She led the wildly successful annual rummage sales at her churches and treasured the many friendships she formed through United Methodist Women and other church groups.After Larry passed in 2016, Anita boldly moved to Woodstock, GA, where she quickly became a loved member of the community. In her later years, she lived at Canterfield of Kennesaw, where she enjoyed watching birds at her feeder, participating in community activities, and relaxing on the front porch.Anita is survived by her daughters, Denise Roberts (Blake) and Karla Goodhart (Dan); her grandsons, Ben Roberts, Jordy Roberts (Anna), Noah Goodhart, and Ethan Goodhart; and her half-brother James Grant (Judy).In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Anita’s memory to Hillside Methodist Church.