John James Walker

John James Walker Jr. of Arvada, Colorado passed away May 21, 2020 at Presbyterian St. Luke†™s Hospital due to complications from a stroke and kidney failure. In his final hours, he was surrounded by his children. John was born on September 21, 1939 in Syracuse, New York to John Sr. and Julia Walker. He was a graduate of St. Lucy†™s Catholic High School. John served in the United States Navy as a Corpsman from 1959-1963. His claim to fame was that he sailed on the †œUSS Neversail†�. He actually spent four years stationed at the Philadelphia Navy Hospital, never leaving the United States. John married Donna Mary Smith in 1964 in Syracuse and they were married for 47 years. They moved to Colorado in 1974 where they raised four children, Jeff, Lisa, Karen, and MaryBeth. John worked at ESCO for 35 years selling stainless steel. His love of athletics led him to become an official for basketball, football, and softball. After retirement, John volunteered helping children read at Fremont Elementary and was an usher at the Arvada Center. John put his Corpsman skills to use volunteering in the emergency room at Lutheran Hospital, where he received the Channel 7 Everyday Hero Award. John†™s love of sports continued through retirement and he worked as an usher for the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, where he was able to attend the World Series in 2007. He was an avid reader and enjoyed playing table tennis and meeting with friends each morning at McDonalds to talk politics. His pride and joy were his five grandchildren and he attended as many of their sporting events and activities as he possibly could. John is survived by his son, Jeff (Sue); daughters Lisa Graf (Denis), Karen Sanders, and MaryBeth White; and grandchildren, C.J., Jacob, Kaleb, Abby, and Zoey. John is preceded in death by his parents and wife, Donna Walker. The family will be holding a private funeral with a celebration of life at a later date. He will be laid to rest with military honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery. The family has requested no flowers, please.