WALKER, FRANK ALEXANDER, MD FACP, born in San Francisco, CA, on December 5, 1934, passed away peacefully in his sleep early Wednesday morning, May 1, 2013, with his wife of fifty-five years, Rosina Neidich Walker, at his side.
Dr. Walker was loving husband to Rosina, father to Katharina Ray (David), Francesca Knutson (Jeff), and Julia Beran (John), grandfather to Jeffrey Knutson, Joshua Knutson, Johanna Beran, and Katharina Beran Snyder (Cory), and brother of Betty Johnson and Larry Walker.
Dr. Walker attended Deep Springs College and the University of California-Berkeley. He graduated from medical school at McGill University in Montreal, where he met and married Rosina, and later pursued a Ph.D. in genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was also a Fellow of the American College of Physicians. Dr. Walker practiced medicine in underserviced communities, multiple states, and several countries, including Canada and Saudi Arabia. As a researcher, he published many articles in prominent journals on causes of mental retardation. He lobbied through articles and testimony for the screening of newborns for causes of mental retardation. Furthermore, he was active in matters of public health, particularly in the prevention of lead poisoning. He also held teaching positions at multiple universities, including Medical College of Wisconsin, where he was also the director of the Department of Metabolic and Genetic Disorders at Milwaukee Children's Hospital. After his research career, Dr. Walker practiced pediatrics. After retirement from private practice, he contributed to research on metabolic disorders and served on the institutional review board for University of Louisville and Bellarmine University.
Dr. Walker was a man of great spirit and courage. Though he was never athletic, after being severely injured in a car accident in 2009, he fought through multiple setbacks in his determination to walk again-which he did. Dr. Walker was a Christian who practiced his faith by using his profound knowledge to help others and provide for those he loved. They take comfort in the knowledge that he is at peace. "For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end." Psalm 48:14.
Funeral Service will be 11 a.m. Saturday, May 11, 2013 at Our Savior Lutheran Church and Christian School, 8305 Nottingham Parkway. Visitation will be Saturday, May 11, 2013 from 9-11 a.m. at the church. Burial will be private. Owen Funeral Home-Jeffersontown in charge of arrangements.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Our Savior Lutheran School, 8307 Nottingham Parkway, Louisville, KY, 40222.