Obituary of Ramah Juanita Walker

The daughter of Charles and Gladys (Barkley) Pherigo, Ramah was born Jan. 8, 1927, in Greencastle, Mo. Her family moved to Newton, Iowa, shortly after the birth of her sister, Betty, and they attended Newton schools. On Aug. 25, 1946, Ramah was united in marriage to the love of her life, Ivan Walker, in Hiawatha, Kan. To this union, four children were born: Alice, Chuck, Deena and Judy.

Ramah worked at the Maytag Dairy Farm for approximately 15 years. She lived in Newton most of her life, except for 10 years when she and Ivan resided at Rock Creek Lake in the house Ivan built following his retirement from the Maytag Company. They moved back to Newton in 1986 and spent the winter months in Zapata, Texas.

Ramah was the official scorebook keeper for the Newton Babe Ruth League and enjoyed years of watching games while her husband coached and her son played. She was a member of the Newton Foursquare Church, past member of the Moose Lodge and enjoyed bowling and assisting with Newton Community Theatre productions. She also loved playing cards, reading, doing Bible studies with her daughters and ladies from her church, taking bus trips with friends to Branson, Mo., watching and collecting cardinals, and watching football and baseball.

Above all else, Ramah was a wife, mother and grandmother who treasured her family. Many summers were enjoyed at the family cabin at Rock Creek Lake when her and Ivan’s children were growing up, and she loved traveling with her children and grandchildren, including trips to the Wisconsin Dells, Estes Park in Colorado, Dyersville and the Amanas. Every Halloween was spent with her grandchildren making pit-stops at her home to show off their costumes and receive their traditional full-size Hershey bar from Grandma Walker, and every Christmas Eve night was set aside to celebrate the birth of the Lord Jesus by spending time exchanging gifts over a potluck meal with her entire family.

Ramah will be dearly missed by her loved ones, including her children, Alice (Bill) Pendleton, Chuck (Linda) Walker, Deena (the late Ken) Lamb and Judy (David) Shedlock; her 14 grandchildren, Jason, Shawn, Michelle, Cory, Kenny, Mandi, Tabitha, Jamie, Kylie, Erik, Bret, Ryan, Josiah and Samuel; her 29 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Ramah was preceded in death by her husband, Ivan, in 2008; a son, Billy Walker, in infancy; her parents; her sister, Betty Harrison; her son-in-law, Ken; and her six sisters-in-law, Odetha Schnathorst, Alise Lawson, LaVera Eaton, Yvonna Anderson, Della Moore and Roberta Barkley.