Funeral services for Faye Couey Walker will be held at 2:00 on Thursday, October 25, 2018, at East Highland Baptist Church in Hartselle. Visitation will be held between 12:00 and 2:00 at the church. Graveside services will take place at Antioch Cemetery in Somerville following the funeral. Peck’s Funeral Home is in charge of the services.
Mrs. Walker passed away on Saturday, October 20, 2018, at Decatur Morgan Hospital following complications from a stroke.
Faye Walker, or Grandmother Walker, as she was affectionately known, was born in Morgan County on June 14, 1930, to Liston Odell and Lucille Russell Couey. She was the granddaughter of William Ervin and Jane Turney Cooper Russell and Oscar and Nancy Brown Couey.
Mrs. Walker is survived by one son, William Glenn Walker (Bill) and wife, Jan Bartee Walker, three grandsons, William Glenn Walker, Jr. (Bill) and wife, Allison Ross Walker; Michael John Walker and wife, Jordan Stephens Walker; and Matthew David Walker and wife, Sallie Carraway Handley Walker, as well as two great grandchildren, Jude Stephens Walker and Magnolia Hamilton Walker. She is also survived by one sister, Elizabeth Couey Maxwell, of Somerville and a niece, Rhonda Maxwell Booth, of Huntsville. Her husband, James Doyle Walker, preceded her in death in 2010.
Faye grew up in the Florette community of Morgan County. She graduated from Cotaco High School in 1947. She earned a B.S. Degree in Secondary Education from Florence State Teachers College in 1951 and an M.S. Degree from Alabama Polytechnic Institute in 1955. She earned additional certificates from Auburn University and the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She officially retired in 2000 following a distinguished 50-year professional career in education, which included Director of Child Nutrition Programs and Secondary Education for Morgan County Schools and Intern Supervisor for Athens University. She had been an active member of Delta Kappa Gamma, Hartselle Historical Society, Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce, and Decatur Arts Council prior to her illness and death. Her favorite volunteer event each year was Camp ‘Artselle, a week-long summer camp for the arts at The Burleson Center in Hartselle.
Mrs. Walker received numerous honors and accolades for her volunteer service and contributions to the community, including Morgan County Leadership Hall of Fame, Civitan Citizen of the Year, Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador of the Year, Hartselle Beautification Good Neighbor Award, and the Thomas Guyton Humanitarian Award. She and her dear friend, Bettye English, were honored by the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce with the creation of a special award named in their honor, the English-Walker award, which will be presented annually to a deserving Chamber Ambassador.
The family would like to thank the many kind friends who have loved Faye well over the past two years, including her card playing buddies in the “Casino” group, Bettye English, the Rollins family, the Mitchell family, and Jane Wilcoxson. The family also extends a debt of gratitude to the Critical Care Unit at Decatur Morgan Hospital for the compassionate and excellent care Faye received preceding her death.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks that memorials be made to The Burleson Center, P.O. Box 373, Hartselle, Alabama 35640 or East Highland Building Fund, P.O. Box 888, Hartselle, Alabama 35640.
Peck Funeral Home
