Leonard (Len) Walker was a beloved father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother and friend during his incredible 78 years on earth. We are heartbroken over his sudden passing, but we find peace knowing that he is in the presence of our Heavenly Father.
Leonard Earl Walker was born on November 12, 1944 in Yakima, Washington, to loving parents Melvin and Esther Walker. He grew up in Prosser, Washington where his father served as a police officer and Chief of Police for 40 years. From a young age, Len could recall his days on their family farm, picking asparagus and tending animals, including his horse “Jiggers” with his three sisters: Bev, Judy, and Barbara. His sister recalls that they “fought like cats and dogs” throughout the years until a pair of boxing gloves were purchased and a fight ensued. Their father took that time to lecture them on fighting, needless to say, they never fought again. Len had fond memories of his family life on the farm where he learned the value of hard work, but also the value of enjoying life and having fun.
Len attended Prosser High School where he graduated in 1963. He spent his high school days on the football field and basketball court, where his accomplishments frequented the local newspaper. Unfortunately, an injury during his senior year ended his sports days but he continued to be an enthusiastic Prosser sports fan for the rest of his life. In 1964, he married his former wife Donna Ward and together they welcomed four of their greatest accomplishments: Lennie, Landon, Danyell and Terra.
Len’s children meant the world to him. He was their biggest supporter throughout the years. They all have fond memories with their dad growing up that they will cherish forever. Lennie recalls how his dad was so proud when he graduated from the State Patrol Academy. He will dearly miss the daily phone calls with his dad while driving to work. Landon remembers that his dad showed up to every one of his baseball and football games, and that Len’s attendance continued on through his granddaughters’ sporting and life events. He attributes his career as a machinist to his father, who encouraged him to pursue that field after high school. Landon also recalls all of the phone calls with his dad, sometimes 5-6 times a week. Len always relied on his oldest daughter, Danyell, to film his “How To” videos on Cooking with Len. She commented, “I think he wanted to be the oldest influencer on social media.” Terra remembers feeling so special as a little girl when her dad purchased her first horse, “Dippy”. They will all miss the frequent phone calls from their dad, just checking in and catching up, even if he had just called the day before. He was an amazing example of a father and grandfather which will live on through generations to come.
Over the years, Len had many different work opportunities from owning a Sears catalog store, to chopping and selling firewood. He spent a majority of his years at Boeing on the west side of Washington along with a short stint in Southern California where he specialized in Vendor Surveillance. Throughout his years at Boeing, he took a few breaks to try his hand at other work endeavors including farming in Mattawa, selling satellite dishes, and owning rentals in Auburn, WA. His sons recall chopping and selling firewood and then delivering it all over town with their dad. They always unloaded and neatly stacked every piece of wood, as just a little extra touch for the customer. He eventually retired from Boeing in 1998, but his work ethic followed him into his retirement. With retirement came time for his hobbies which included golfing, cooking, carpentry, and flowers. Ultimately, flowers became his passion and, in a way, “called” him out of retirement with “Len’s Flowers”.
“To know Len was to love Len”, this was a sentiment that was echoed throughout the community after his passing. After meeting Len, it didn’t take long to hear about his passions in life: flowers, spores (mushrooms), micro greens and his family. He attended every event from his grandkids’ sports to his great grandkids’ birthday parties. You could always count on Len being there. He also loved hosting his own events, class reunions and BBQs for his family and friends at his home in Prosser. You could usually find him chatting to someone about flowers, lectins, mushrooms, politics or micro greens. At these events he was also known to invite you to come sit with him at his church on Sunday morning.
He put his heart and soul into everything that he did. This was seen in his beautiful hand-crafted flower baskets that were showcased all over the Lower Valley. He was a staple, known as “Len in Ten” at the local Farmer’s Market. Locals loved to stop and chat with him about his endless wisdom of anything that grows. He always had new information about his passions and interests that he loved to share with those around him.
Len’s grandkids were so incredibly special to him. He loved each of them deeply and invested in their lives. He was always an active grandfather who showed up. He wasn’t afraid to express his love for them and each conversation ended in “I love you sweetheart” or “I love you bud”. His grandchildren shared that he was their “charismatic, funny, flower-lovin’, micro green-growin’, and incredibly kind grandpa.” They cherished their time with him and wanted to share a favorite memory of him. Christian loved his talks with grandpa every couple of weeks to catch up on life. Savannah remembers how proud he was of his cooking, primarily with the Dutch Ovens. He used to participate in Bluegrass and Dutch Oven festivals, and she recalls eating his peach cobbler while listening to music in the park. Logan appreciated that he attended her soccer and basketball games, never missing a home game. In the later years, he would always stop by at her house just to say “hi”. Reilly cherishes Christmas Eves at his house watching the Santa Tracker on his home computer. Grandpa Len was Kadin’s biggest fan, especially when it came to football. Kadin will always remember that grandpa was brave. Shania remembers grandpa taking the grandkids to golf camp for the week and letting them drive the golf cart. Brandon remembers playing with airplanes with grandpa on his living room floor. They can’t wait to share these special memories with their children, so that grandpa’s legacy can live on.
We will miss our father, grandfather, brother and friend dearly, but we are so grateful for the time we had to spend with him. We will always feel his presence in our hearts.
Len is survived by his children, Lennie (Kimberly) Walke Jr. of Spokane, Landon (Rhonda) Walker of West Richland, Danyell (Erwin) Diaz of Kennewick and Terra (Dan) Bushey of Kennewick; eight grandchildren, Reilly, Justin, Logan, Shania, Christian, Kadin, Savannah and Brandon; eleven great-grandchildren; three sisters, Beverly Scheel of Pasco, Judy Gilbert of New York and Barbara Walker of Richland; and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, one niece and one nephew.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Friday, October 27th at Bethel Church in Prosser. You may leave a message for the family at www.Prosserfuneralhome.com