Lisa Jo Walker

Lisa Jo Walker, 66, of Tampa, Florida, died suddenly on March 24, 2025, from Eisenmenger’s Syndrome (she had a hole in her heart, likely from birth). She hated doctors and hospitals, so although it was “fixable” by surgery it was never caught and, in fact, she had perfect blood pressure and heart sounds for most of her life, so please, ask your doctor to check your heart anatomy.

Lisa was born Elisa Jo Heinemeier on March 3, 1959, to parents Kenneth Julius and Marilyn Ann Heinemeier, née Mayer in Alton, Illinois. She was named after her maternal grandfather, Elisha Joseph, whom she called Grandpa Leish and adored alongside his wife, her dear Grandma Carla.

Mother, father, and older brother Daniel Christopher (b. 1957) moved from Illinois to Rockledge, Florida when Lisa was in early elementary school. Her maternal and paternal grandparents also followed the family down to Florida in the years to come.

In Rockledge, she married and divorced Jim Walker just after she attained majority. He predeceased her, but the name lived on: she used the marriage to change her name officially to her desired moniker, Lisa Jo Walker, which she kept for the rest of her life. 

Fiercely independent, after her divorce in the early 80s she sold her house and moved to the west coast of Florida looking for more opportunities than Brevard County could provide. She had her daughter, Erika Sage Wertz, in 1982 and moved from St. Petersburg to Tampa in 1987. 

She earned her bachelor’s in finance in 1989 and her master’s in business administration in 1991 from the University of South Florida. She worked as a paralegal in downtown Tampa for many years until being declared disabled and retiring early in 2014. She enjoyed yoga and exercise and stayed in shape by riding her bike on Bayshore each day. 

She is survived by her daughter Erika (m. Robert Miller) and her daughter’s four children who were the light of Lisa’s life: Adrian McNeil (b. 2004), his daughter Camryn McNeil (b. 2022), Devin McNeil (b. 2006), Robert “Sean” Miller (b. 2010), and Chloe Miller (b. 2013). Her grandchildren were her whole world from the time they were born until the day she passed away. Caring for and traveling with the kids were the best times of her life. They all called her “Mimi” and her memory will live on, in them. She is also survived by her brother Dan Heinemeier, his wife Meredith, and their children, Evelyn and Ken.