West Point Mayor Walker dead at 79

WALKER

A city father

That’s all he talked about was the city, its parks, South Park, the people. It’s a very big loss for the City of West Point.”

Randy Welding, West Point City Administrator

WEST POINT – It’s a sad day for the City of West Point as an icon that helped shape the city’s past, present, and future died early Wednesday morning after battling lung cancer.

West Point Mayor Paul Dean Walker, 79, of West Point, Iowa, died at 2:32 a.m. Wednesday, at the West Point Care Center in West Point, Iowa.

He leaves behind his wife: Mary Beth; one son: Jay D. (Amy L.) Walker; grandchildren: Margaret E. Walker and Mason T. Walker; step-grandsons: Jordan L. Brown and Aden R. Alfred; sisters-in-law: Kate (Dennis) Menke, Rosemary Klemtt, and Dorothy (Tom) Peters. Also surviving are several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Mr. Walker’s obituary appears in tomorrow’s e-edition and on our website now.

City Administrator Randy Welding said no one was more proud of West Point than Walker.

“He would stand in my office and if he saw someone out at the rock or the Statue of Liberty he would go out and talk with them and give them his card,” Welding said.

“That’s all he talked about was the city, its parks, South Park, the people. It’s a very big loss for the City of West Point.”

Welding said Mayor Pro Tem Joseph Loving is set to be appointed as Mayor to fill Walker’s seat. Former City Councilman Bruce Wellman is slated to be appointed to fill Loving’s seat through the end of the year.

Welding said Walker’s lung cancer came back after being in remission for years.

“Two weeks ago, he told me he got bad news. I got to see him Thursday and we carried on a good conversation. I guess over the weekend it got pretty bad.

Welding said he’s been friends with Walker for years and when the mayor needed something, he just only need ask.

“I got to know him when he first asked me to serve on the chicken committee with him many, many years ago. Everytime he needed somebody, he just had to come and ask. He’s the only Mayor I’ve ever worked with.”

Walker was a 1961 graduate of Dow City High School and 1967 graduate of Northwest Missouri State. He served in the United States Army from 1967 to 1969 in Korea during the Vietnam War. He worked as a driver’s education teacher and coached football, basketball, and track for the Fort Madison Community School System.

He was an entrepreneur with Sunshine Child Care and also drove for Merschman Seeds. He was a member of St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church, the West Point American Legion Holtz - Geers Post #668. He served on the West Point Utility board for fourteen years, was a West Point councilman for four years, West Point city mayor for twenty-six years, West Point Sweet Corn Festival chicken chairman for twenty years, member of the North Lee County Foundation, and served on numerous other boards. Paul enjoyed woodworking, gardening, boating, hunting and fishing.