Willard L. Walker

Willard L. Walker, 94, a lifelong resident of the Loveland area, died peacefully on March 28, 2021, at Brookdale Mariana Butte where he had been a residence for the past few years. He was born Sept. 20, 1926 in Kelim, CO and was the son of George A. & Frederica (Brose) Walker, who preceded him in death. After a long courtship, he married the love of life Bertille "Til” Cleveland in Dallas, TX on June 22, 1996; she also preceded him in death in 2018. He is also preceded in death by a brother Rolland, sister-in-law Loris Walker, brother-in-law Harry Mosher. Surviving him are a sister Carol (Walker) Mosher, and many loving nieces & nephews and their families. Willard attended Kelim Grade School, a one room school house, and was a 1944 graduate of Loveland High School. In 1945 he joined the U.S. Navy, training at the Naval Station Great Lakes, where he was selected for the ROTC program at Stanford University enrolling as a freshman. After WWII, the program was closed, and he transferred to Colorado A&M, now CSU, graduating in 1949 with a B.S. in Economics. He was an active member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, news editor of the school newspaper, "The Rocky Mountain Collegian,” earned 3 varsity wrestling letters, and competed in the 1949 NCAA wrestling tournament. After graduating from CSU, he attended Michigan State University earning a M.A. degree in Economics, with a minor in History. In the early 1950’s, along with fraternity brother Gene Meakins traveled around the world together, working along the way. They spent some time in Beirut, Lebanon studying & teaching school there. He loved sports, and pitched at a competitive level fast pitch softball for 33 years. Willard worked for several companies including Crane Co. & Chrysler. Working mostly in the financial area, he became a NYSE stock broker in 1967, and worked for companies including Bache & Co., now Prudential, Hanifen, Imhoff, & Dean Witter before joining LPL Financial in 1999. In 2007, Willard earned an Investment Advisory Representative designation (IAR) and continued as a full time stock & bond broker until his retirement in 2017. He was an early supporter of Ronald Reagan being selected as a delegate from Larimer County to the 1980 national GOP convention. He was also a co-founder of the Colorado Conservative Union in the 1970’s, an organization that stayed active & influential until 2003. Willard was also a member & past officer of the American Society of Germans from Russia, a member & past post commander of the American Legion Post 15, where he had been a member for over 50 years, and was a board member of the Lutheran Church of Hope. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the American Legion Post 2000, "Veterans Assistance Fund”, P.O. Box 2836, Loveland, CO 80539, payable to "American Legion Post 2000 Veterans Assistance Fund” or Lutheran Church of Hope, 2595 Monroe Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. Memorial services will be held at Lutheran Church of Hope in Loveland on May 15, 2021 at 1:00pm. Willard's ashes will be spread in Rocky Mountain National Park at a later date.