SERVICE INFORMATION:

Clay Roy Walker, 62, of rural Essex, Iowa, entered into eternal rest on Monday, May 22, 2023, at his farm near Essex.  A celebration of life memorial service for Clay will be held on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at 10:30 AM at the Essex Presbyterian Church in Essex with Rev. Rick Sleyster officiating.  The family will greet relatives and friends with visitation at Nishna Valley Funeral and Cremation Service in Shenandoah on Friday evening, May 26, 2023, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM.  Inurnment will take place in the Essex Cemetery.  Memorials in Clay's name are being directed to the Huntington Disease Society of America (HDSA) Iowa Chapter or to People For Paws.

OBITUARY:

Clay Roy Walker, son of Bobby R. and Vivian J. (Smith) Walker, was born on December 19, 1960, in Shenandoah, Iowa. He passed away on May 22, 2023, at his farm outside of Essex, Iowa, at the age of 62 years, 5 months, 3 days.

The youngest of four children, Clay probably got away with more than his siblings did. He graduated from Essex High School with the Class of 1979. He participated in sports during high school, but his main love was water skiing, hunting, trapping and his motorcycle. His senior year of high school he and some friends took a road trip on their motorcycles. It was one of his biggest adventures.

After graduating, he began farming row crop and raising registered black Angus cattle. On July 11, 1980, he was wed to Kimberly (Graham) Walker and they began the adventure that was their life. He retired in 2021.

He loved his family dearly. He was not a man of many words and probably never said it enough, but he was very proud of both his children and all his grandchildren. He loved the time he spent with the grandkids playing cards or boosting them up in a tree.

Loving to travel and see new things, Clay was always pushing the boundaries, he saw things that few were able to. He was very agile and was always climbing up just a little higher or going just a little farther. He and his wife Kim enjoyed many trips over the years. His favorite was Alaska, he had always dreamed of going there and finally made it a reality in 2011. He was in his element there. At one point he considered leaving Iowa and going homesteading up there, but common sense prevailed, and he was content to spend two weeks there. He also was able to travel to Hawaii twice, Ireland, Mexico, Canada, and many islands in the Caribbean.

His greatest love aside from his family, was Table Rock Lake. He achieved a lifelong dream by purchasing a lake home at Table Rock in 2012. He wanted a place for his family to come and spend time together. He was most at peace there and would sit and watch the lake taking in the view.

He loved to ski and was quite good at it. He also loved to drive his boat around the lake for hours if you would let him. His family referred to those times as our “marathon boat ride”. While the others got tired and hot, he loved it. We would drive for ice cream at a marina then cruise some more. He was able to get both of his kids and all five of his grandkids to ski plus a few friends or their kids. Parents in the water and him at the wheel instructing them to tuck tighter, hold on longer or even just to laugh at the antics of the student at the time. Those were his best memories, and he would refer to them often. It is his legacy.

Preceding Clay in death were his parents; father-in-law, Wayne Graham; and brother-in-law, Allen Blezek. Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 42 years, Kim Walker; their two children, John Walker and his companion, McKenzie Williams of Shenandoah, IA, and Stephanie Robinette and her husband Caleb of Essex, IA; five grandchildren, Jacob, Caden and Kinsley Robinette and Presley and Hudson Walker; three siblings, Kay Blezek of Shenandoah, IA, Linda Burnison and husband Mike and Brian Walker and wife Christy, all of Essex, IA; mother-in-law, Marlene Graham of Shenandoah, IA;  sister-in-law, Jenelle Smith and husband Lonnie of Fayetteville, AR; brothers-in-law, Jim Graham and wife Kathy of Farmington, AR, and Tim Graham of Troy, TN; along with many nieces, nephews and cousins; and many friends.