Wayne Needham Walker was born May 23, 1931, in rural Sedgwick County, Colorado. He was the youngest of eleven children of Keith Glenn Walker and Mattie Mae (Needham) Walker. Keith worked for the Union Pacific Railroad, and Mattie was a School Teacher.
He was raised in Dix, Nebraska, and graduated from Dix High School. He then matriculated from Kearney State (NE) with a Bachelor's Degree in Science. At Kearney State, he lettered in both football and basketball, but it was clear he had a gift for mathematics and engineering.
He enlisted in the U S Navy during the Korean War, serving overseas in southeast Asia. After his active enrollment was up, he remained in the Reserves until retirement, rising to the rank of Captain.
After military service, Wayne enrolled in the University of Washington where he earned a Master's Degree. He got a job at the Boeing Company, but also stayed on at the university to work as a graduate assistant. It was then this handsome young man met the love of his life, the beautiful undergraduate Judith Arlene Hawes. They were married in Bremerton, WA in 1962, shortly after her graduation.
In 1965, Wayne was transferred to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California in support of the Lunar Orbiting Program. Wayne and Judy lived in Southern California for thirty-eight years. They never had children of their own, but their home was always full of life, with a steady stream of friends and relatives. They opened their home to hosting foreign exchange students from Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, and Germany. The many visitors, along with the several pet Siamese, Burmese, and Abyssinian cats assured that life in their home was never dull.
Wayne was preceded in death by his wife Judy; his parents Keith and Mattie; his brothers Bud, Ralph, Norman, and Kenneth; his sisters Lee Wistrom, Jenifer Cosgriff, Dorothy Nitzsche, Sr. Violet Walker, and Betty Jo Strasheim. He is survived by one brother, Paul Walker. He leaves behind three nephews and three nieces that loved him very much and will miss him terribly.
He was raised in Dix, Nebraska, and graduated from Dix High School. He then matriculated from Kearney State (NE) with a Bachelor's Degree in Science. At Kearney State, he lettered in both football and basketball, but it was clear he had a gift for mathematics and engineering.
He enlisted in the U S Navy during the Korean War, serving overseas in southeast Asia. After his active enrollment was up, he remained in the Reserves until retirement, rising to the rank of Captain.
After military service, Wayne enrolled in the University of Washington where he earned a Master's Degree. He got a job at the Boeing Company, but also stayed on at the university to work as a graduate assistant. It was then this handsome young man met the love of his life, the beautiful undergraduate Judith Arlene Hawes. They were married in Bremerton, WA in 1962, shortly after her graduation.
In 1965, Wayne was transferred to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California in support of the Lunar Orbiting Program. Wayne and Judy lived in Southern California for thirty-eight years. They never had children of their own, but their home was always full of life, with a steady stream of friends and relatives. They opened their home to hosting foreign exchange students from Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, and Germany. The many visitors, along with the several pet Siamese, Burmese, and Abyssinian cats assured that life in their home was never dull.
Wayne was preceded in death by his wife Judy; his parents Keith and Mattie; his brothers Bud, Ralph, Norman, and Kenneth; his sisters Lee Wistrom, Jenifer Cosgriff, Dorothy Nitzsche, Sr. Violet Walker, and Betty Jo Strasheim. He is survived by one brother, Paul Walker. He leaves behind three nephews and three nieces that loved him very much and will miss him terribly.
Wayne Needham Walker was born May 23, 1931, in rural Sedgwick County, Colorado. He was the youngest of eleven children of Keith Glenn Walker and Mattie Mae (Needham) Walker. Keith worked for the Union Pacific Railroad, and Mattie was a School Teacher.
He was raised in Dix, Nebraska, and graduated from Dix High School. He then matriculated from Kearney State (NE) with a Bachelor's Degree in Science. At Kearney State, he lettered in both football and basketball, but it was clear he had a gift for mathematics and engineering.
He enlisted in the U S Navy during the Korean War, serving overseas in southeast Asia. After his active enrollment was up, he remained in the Reserves until retirement, rising to the rank of Captain.
After military service, Wayne enrolled in the University of Washington where he earned a Master's Degree. He got a job at the Boeing Company, but also stayed on at the university to work as a graduate assistant. It was then this handsome young man met the love of his life, the beautiful undergraduate Judith Arlene Hawes. They were married in Bremerton, WA in 1962, shortly after her graduation.
In 1965, Wayne was transferred to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California in support of the Lunar Orbiting Program. Wayne and Judy lived in Southern California for thirty-eight years. They never had children of their own, but their home was always full of life, with a steady stream of friends and relatives. They opened their home to hosting foreign exchange students from Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, and Germany. The many visitors, along with the several pet Siamese, Burmese, and Abyssinian cats assured that life in their home was never dull.
Wayne was preceded in death by his wife Judy; his parents Keith and Mattie; his brothers Bud, Ralph, Norman, and Kenneth; his sisters Lee Wistrom, Jenifer Cosgriff, Dorothy Nitzsche, Sr. Violet Walker, and Betty Jo Strasheim. He is survived by one brother, Paul Walker. He leaves behind three nephews and three nieces that loved him very much and will miss him terribly.
He was raised in Dix, Nebraska, and graduated from Dix High School. He then matriculated from Kearney State (NE) with a Bachelor's Degree in Science. At Kearney State, he lettered in both football and basketball, but it was clear he had a gift for mathematics and engineering.
He enlisted in the U S Navy during the Korean War, serving overseas in southeast Asia. After his active enrollment was up, he remained in the Reserves until retirement, rising to the rank of Captain.
After military service, Wayne enrolled in the University of Washington where he earned a Master's Degree. He got a job at the Boeing Company, but also stayed on at the university to work as a graduate assistant. It was then this handsome young man met the love of his life, the beautiful undergraduate Judith Arlene Hawes. They were married in Bremerton, WA in 1962, shortly after her graduation.
In 1965, Wayne was transferred to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California in support of the Lunar Orbiting Program. Wayne and Judy lived in Southern California for thirty-eight years. They never had children of their own, but their home was always full of life, with a steady stream of friends and relatives. They opened their home to hosting foreign exchange students from Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, and Germany. The many visitors, along with the several pet Siamese, Burmese, and Abyssinian cats assured that life in their home was never dull.
Wayne was preceded in death by his wife Judy; his parents Keith and Mattie; his brothers Bud, Ralph, Norman, and Kenneth; his sisters Lee Wistrom, Jenifer Cosgriff, Dorothy Nitzsche, Sr. Violet Walker, and Betty Jo Strasheim. He is survived by one brother, Paul Walker. He leaves behind three nephews and three nieces that loved him very much and will miss him terribly.
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