Nora Elizabeth (Betty) Walker
Funeral services for Nora Elizabeth (Betty) Walker, 95, West Plains, Missouri, will be held at 2:00 p.m., Saturday, October 22, 2022 at First Freewill Baptist Church, 1814 County Road 6460, West Plains, under the direction of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home.
Mrs. Walker passed away peacefully at 1:00 p.m., Monday, October 17, 2022, at Ozarks Medical Center.
She was born July 28, 1927, at Elm Store, Arkansas, to Frank Brewer and Ruby Louisa Dunkin Brewer. On August 17, 1946, she was married at Billmore, Missouri, to J. R. Walker, in a double wedding with her brother, Hubert Glen Brewer and his bride, Virginia Payne. Betty wore many hats during her lifetime. As a young lady she worked in the World War II War Plant, in St. Louis, and then spent 17 years in the office of International Shoe Company. While working, she attended college at what is now Missouri State University, earning both a Bachelor of Science in Education degree and a Master’s degree in Education. She taught many first graders over her teaching career and she loved every single one of them. When she retired from teaching, Betty owned and operated the South Fork Store for many years. Over all these years she met a lot of people and made many, many friends, as she was always a friend to everyone. Mrs. Walker was the only surviving charter member of the First Freewill Baptist Church in West Plains. She loved her church and her church family and attended from its inception in 1956, until her health prevented her from attending.
She leaves behind her son, James R. Walker and wife, Juanita, of West Plains; two daughters, Shirley Rodriguez and husband, Santos, West Plains and Debbie Bonham and husband, Blake, Caulfield, Missouri; ten grandchildren; and twenty-five great-grandchildren, with two more on the way.
Her parents, Frank and Ruby Brewer, her husband of almost fifty years, J. R. Walker, her brother and sister-in-law, Hubert and Virginia Brewer, a son-in-law, Ronnie Skiles, one great-grandson, Chase Johns and a nephew, Douglas Brewer, preceded her in death.
Mrs. Walker will lie in state from 5:00 until 9:00 p.m., Friday, at Robertson-Drago Funeral Home. The family will receive their friends from 1:00 until 2:00 p.m., Saturday at First Freewill Baptist Church. Interment will be alongside her husband at Howell Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Gideon Bible Society and may be left at or mailed to Robertson-Drago Funeral Home, 211 West Main, West Plains, MO 65775.
