NORWICH – Nellie Eileen (Young) Walker of Norwich passed away March 26, 2009 at the New York State Veterans’ Home in Oxford, where she has resided for the past three years.
She was born March 21, 1921, at Greenfield, Iowa, the daughter of Pearl Carter and Irvin Young. At the age of nine months, she and her parents moved to McDonough, eventually settling in Norwich. At the age of 17, she married Russel F. Walker at the Birdsall Street parsonage of Calvary Baptist Church, and together they started and operated the Chat ‘n Chew and Cottage Kitchen restaurants in Norwich.
They were the parents of Eileen Tinker of Webster, Edwin (Gwen) Walker of Brockton, Mass., Pamela (Eric) Larsen of Norwich, Dennis Walker of Cumberland, Md., and Sharon Sue and Laura Lou Walker, both of whom died in infancy.
In 1986, she became the resident manager of Hillside House Apartments, Laral Management Co., Borden Ave, Norwich, serving in that position for 19 years.
Among the many activities she enjoyed over the years were bowling, Home Bureau, crossword puzzles and a wide variety of crafts including knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing, and refinishing furniture. Her afghans, mittens and sweaters were coveted and prized by all members of her family. She was the undisputed Boggle champion of her family and an ardent New York Yankees fan.
In addition to her children, Nellie is survived by her sister, Thelma Burchard, of Tucson, Arizona; nine grandchildren: Stacey (Michael) Welch of Palmyra, Brian (Betsey) Tinker of Arvada, Colo., Matthew (Debra) Walker of Franklin, Ind., Kelly (Darin) Wiegers of Hudson, N.H., Carrie Larsen of Norwich, Lindsey Larsen of Binghamton, Rachel Larsen of Sacramento, Calif., Alex Larsen of Norwich, and WhitneyWalker of Cumberland, Md; 10 great-grandchildren: Nathan, Emily and Kristen Walker, Matthew and Sarah Mei Tinker, Rachael Welch, and Benjamin, Lauren, Sophia and Jacob Wiegers; as well as several nieces and nephews. Besides her husband Russell, who passed away May 19, 1990, Nellie was predeceased by her son-in-law, Ted Tinker.
Funeral services for Nellie will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday at the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home, 116 N. Broad Street, Norwich. Interment will be in the Mount Hope Cemetery, Norwich. Friends may call at the funeral home, on Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. when the family will be in attendance.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Chenango County Historical Society.
Funeral arrangements are by the R.J. Fahy Funeral Home.