On November 30th, after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease, Alan Carl Walker passed away at his home and in the presence of family and caregivers. He was born on Oahu on May 29, 1924, the son of a Scottish bookkeeper and an American schoolteacher. Alan began attending the University of Hawaii at age 17. Shortly thereafter, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he and other students assisted in clearing battle rubble from Ford Island. In 1944, he completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and worked briefly as a Chemist for Dole Pineapple. While at the university, Alan met Patience Miller and they were married in October of 1944. Within two months, he was called for military service and sent by the Army to receive further education at the University of Maine. When WWII ended, he was serving in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Alan then returned to Hawaii and joined the Hawaiian Telephone Company, working on inter-island communications. In 1955, he moved his family to California where he continued his career as a telecommunications engineer, publishing frequently in technical journals and presenting numerous professional papers. He traveled extensively for his work, going to every State and many foreign countries. Alan was employed by Lenkurt Electric, Farinon Electric, and Harris Corporation. After retirement, he continued as a private consultant specializing in FCC regulations. He lived in Ladera (San Mateo County, CA) for 35 years and moved to Gilroy, CA in 1990 to be closer to family.
Alan’s interests included cameras, cars and electronic equipment. When television first became available, he built his own set from a kit. He also enjoyed camping and sailing with his family. They took long camping trips, visiting every state west of the Rockies, and kept a sailboat in San Francisco Bay. With his wife, he went on bare boat charters in Antigua and the Bay of Islands (New Zealand). They towed smaller sailboats to the San Juan Islands and numerous small mountain lakes.
Alan is survived by his wife, Patience Walker of Gilroy; son Michael Walker of Boulder, CO (spouse Arzelia, children Elizabeth and Ethan); daughter Deborah Schwarz of Gilroy, (spouse David Schwarz, children Sarah Nilsson [husband Magnus and son Oscar] and Noah Schwarz); son Andrew Walker of San Jose (spouse Carolyn, step-children Debbie, Shannon and James); son Christopher Walker of Gilroy (spouse Ruthann, and children Robin, Patrick and Emily).
A memorial service in honor of Alan will be held on December 17th at 2 PM at the Gilroy United Methodist Church (corner of Church and Fourth Streets). Donations in his memory may be made to Hospice of the Valley or the Gilroy Methodist Church.
