Dwight Walker

A Celebration of Life for Dwight Walker will be held Saturday, September 2, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at the Huntington Senior Center, 210 W Walnut St., Huntington, Texas.

Virtual URL: https://evt.live/dwight-walker-memorial Note: the event video will be visible 15 minutes before the start time.

Dwight Walker died Wednesday, June 20, 2023 at his childhood home in Huntington Texas, one month before his 79th birthday. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Carroway Funeral Home in Lufkin, Texas.

Dwight was born in Lufkin on July 27, 1944 to Gracie Trinkle, a lifelong Huntington resident. For most of his childhood and all of his young adulthood, he lived with his grandparents, Sam and Tera Trinkle.

At an early age, Dwight survived a nearly fatal case of meningitis and was diagnosed with juvenile onset diabetes at age 10, which impacted every day of the rest of his life. At the time of his diagnosis he was told he couldn’t have children and given a life expectancy of 40 years. His stubbornly strict management of his blood sugar (and marriage to a faithful wife) almost doubled that expectancy and proved the doctors wrong.

Dwight graduated from Huntington High School in 1962, and he earned both Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in Psychology from Stephen F. Austin (SFA). He earned his PhD in Experimental Psychology from Kansas State University in 1973, after which he moved to Western North Carolina to work for the Smoky Mountain Mental Health Center, where he remained for 10 years.

While at SFA, he met Kathleen Collins, “whose laugh got him married” in September of 1967. He and Kathleen moved to Lafayette, Louisiana where both were teachers – he at University of Louisiana and she at Abbeyville High School. From there, they both attended graduate school in Manhattan, KS before moving to the Smoky Mountains where both of their daughters were born.

In 1985, Dwight moved his family back to Texas to take a position with the Dallas County Community Mental Health Center (MHMR) and in order to be close to his grandpa who passed away later that year. In 1990, Dwight and Kathleen purchased the farmhouse at “Trinklehill”– which has been in his family for over 100 years – where his grandpa had lived until his death, and eventually they moved there in 1994. Once back in East Texas, he taught at SFA as a faculty adjunct from 1997 - early 2000s.

In his retirement years, Dwight became an avid writer. He wrote many unpublished books about his own life and family history. He devoted himself to learning his and Kathleen’s genealogy as well as the history of Huntington. He found great delight in learning the stories of the people who came before us and was in awe of the long line of ancestors who had survived to lead to his own existence. He wanted to remember and honor as many of those lives as he could discover. Ever a teacher, he enjoyed educating others about the history of the Huntington area by being an active member of the Huntington Genealogical Society and presenting at various historical events incorporating history, stories, and songs.

Dr. Walker was full of humor, puns, songs and nostalgia. He also wrote and spoke about his annoyance with many common language and behavioral quirks of our society. He was thoroughly a gentleman when he was in a good mood, and usually unwilling to keep his opinions to himself if something bothered him. Nearly any phrase could launch him into singing and rhyming, which he used to lighten the mood whenever he could.

No retelling of Dwight’s life is complete without mentioning his passion for music. He was given his first guitar as a boy and it gave him joy to play throughout his life. In high school, he played with brothers Mike and Don Yeates as “the Omegas”. During his college and graduate school years, his music was a respite from academic pressures. While in North Carolina, he found a new love of music singing to his young daughters. Wherever he lived he connected with family, friends, and coworkers who also played music and would regularly get together to play songs by favorite Texas musicians and accompany his daughters while they played Texas fiddle. He strived to have his living room filled with music, just like his grandparents’ house was filled with musicians while he was growing up.

After returning to his hometown in the early 90’s, the Omegas “reunited” and would play together for fun as well as any time they could convince someone to invite them to play for an event, and had been seen a few times playing the local Huntington festivals.

His survivors include Kathleen Walker, his wife of 56 years, daughters, Brie Tschoepe (Ed), and Amanda Walker (Harrison Speck) both of Austin. Grandchildren, Christopher, Clarabel and Cecilia Tschoepe and Elliott and Collin Speck. Sisters, Deborah Stevens (Ken) of Huntington and Brenda Helton of Huntsville, as well as cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Sam and Tera Trinkle, mother Gracie, aunt Ruby Tucker, sister Johnnie Dale Johnson, and brother Douglas Weaver.

Memorial services for Dr. Walker will be held in Huntington later this year. Details will be forthcoming.

If you would like to make a memorial contribution to honor Dwight, please consider giving to the American Diabetes Foundation (www.diabetes.org/Donate) or to the Huntington Genealogical & Historical Society at P.O. Box 102 Huntington, TX 75949.

Memories and condolences may be added at www.carrowayfuneralhome.com.

Carroway Funeral Home, Lufkin, directors.