Springfield - Pearl Walker passed away on March 30, 2018, at 93. She was a fine arts painter, having attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago. She was fired from her first job as an ad agency graphic artist for refusing to illustrate the woman advertising floor wax as "sexy" and from her second job for telling the boss to get lost when he hit on her. Raised in Chicago after living for a short time in Joplin, Missouri, where she and her family may have been held up by Bonnie and Clyde in the early 1920s, Pearl started her married life in Kansas City, Missouri, then made homes for the family in various states and overseas as a military wife. As a widow in her 80s, she packed up camp in Sacramento, Calif. and moved 1500 miles to be near her widowed daughter and young grandson in Springfield, Missouri, where she found the people to be more welcoming, loving, and interested in one another than anywhere she'd lived before. Not an enthusiastic cook, she did master coffee, chicken Cacciatore, chicken soup, apple pie and Rice Krispie candy. An intellect and life-long learner, Pearl read widely in philosophy, religious texts, and literature, became b'nai mitvot in her 60s, took up jewelry-making in her 80s and proved to be a crack shot when Dad gave her a pistol and insisted she learn to shoot to protect herself and us while he was away on assignment. In her lifetime she was active in the League of Women Voters, Northern California Artists Association, her synagogue in Sacramento and her temple in Springfield, where she led Torah study. Pearl was devoted to her children and grandchildren throughout her life. She did crosswords religiously and, until the end, could clobber anyone in the word games Perquacky (Pearlquacky to the family) and Quiddler. Pearl was predeceased by her husband Warren Maynard Walker, whom she expects to greet her with "what took you so long?" her son-in-law, Jesus Enrique Pacheco, and brother Jacob Sadow. She leaves behind her children Carolyn Walker, David Walker, and Suzanne Walker-Pacheco; grandchildren Joseph Walker, Jessica Walker Lim and husband Brett Lim, and Julian Pacheco; her precious great-granddaughter, Quincy Pearl Lim; uniquely special family friend Michael Carlie; and beloved sisters, sister-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins, caretakers, and friends. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to one of your favorite charities or to one of Pearl's: the Southern Poverty Law Center, Mosaic Law Congregation in Sacramento, Temple Israel in Springfield and the National Committee to Protect Social Security and Medicare. Interment was April 4, 2018 in Sacramento. Online condolences may be left at www.gormanscharpf.com. Mom, thank you for teaching us the value of family, learning, compassion, and the unexpected sarcastic crack. We love you and will miss your affection, conversation and non sequiturs more than you'll know. Please give our love to Dad.
Published in the News-Leader on Apr. 8, 2018