Dr. Earl Walker

Dr. Earl Edwin Walker, loving husband of 57 years of Ruth (nee Whittenberg) Walker, passed away after an acute illness January 21, 2015 with Ruth by his side.  He was born to Carl and Thelma Walker in Princeton, Indiana, January 18, 1934. At one point, his family lived in Harrisburg, Illinois where he attended school in the one room schoolhouse in Cain Community.  He graduated from high school in Catlin, Illinois where he earned recognition in both sports and academics. At Southern Illinois University, he pursued his undergraduate degree in pre-med before moving to Chicago where he achieved his medical degree from the University of Illinois.  He met his wife Ruth in Chicago where she was attending nursing school, and on December 22, 1957, he and Ruth were married.  His general surgery residency was completed at the University of Nebraska under his mentor Dr. Musselman.  After completion of his residency, he voluntarily joined the Army to serve as a medical officer at the 3^rd Field Hospital in the Vietnam War.  For his service as a trauma surgeon in Vietnam, he was awarded the Bronze Star by the United States Army for his dedicated patient care to wounded soldiers. Dr. Walker moved to southern Illinois to establish his surgical practice in 1968, providing general medical and surgical care to the community.  He was privileged to work at both Harrisburg Medical Center as well as Ferrell Hospital in Eldorado, Illinois.   His love for the community was demonstrated by his determination to never leave the community unprotected for surgical care. When the tornado struck Marion in 1982, he immediately went to that community hospital to provide medical services to the injured.