Sonya Ivey Walker left this life on September 11, 2026, at age 95 after a brief illness. She was born on December 28, 1930, to Henry Ivey and Jewell McGuire in Jonesboro, Arkansas. She was raised in Piggott, Arkansas, by her beloved grandparents, Dr. Henry and Julia McGuire. She went to a private girl’s school in Gulfport, Mississippi, and then attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where she met and married her husband, Jack Thomas Walker. They moved to Little Rock, Arkansas, where Jack attended medical school, and their children, Thomas Gregory (Greg) and Cynthia Leigh (Cinde), were born.
After military service in Frankfort, Germany, Jack and Sonya moved their family to Magnolia, Arkansas, where he practiced medicine, and she raised their children. They loved their life there, where they were close to Jack’s family and had a wonderful group of friends.
After Jack retired, they moved to the Lake Hamilton area in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where they lived until Jack passed away in 2015. Their daughter, Cinde, and her husband, Gordon Heinicke, lived nearby in Little Rock, and they spent time together frequently.
Sonya relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, after Jack died, to be near her son, Greg, a physician at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, and his husband, James (Jimmy) Materese. She built a new life in Boston, living in an elegant high-rise with sweeping views of her new city, establishing new friendships, and enjoying the offerings of a large metropolis. She loved visiting Cape Cod, where she frequently spent time in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
She was beloved by her many new friends, with whom she shared her southern wit and charm, and was well known to hosts and servers throughout many of the city’s restaurants and other venues.
Sonya is survived by her son, Greg, and his husband, James, of Boston, and her daughter, Cinde and husband, Gordon, of Honolulu, Hawaii. A memorial service and celebration of life for Sonya and her late husband, Jack, will be held at Lewis Funeral Home in Magnolia, Arkansas on November 14, 2026 at 2:00 PM. Donations may be made to the Animal Rescue League of Boston in Sonya and Jack’s memory.