Stephen Walker

Stephen Brooks Walker passed peacefully on Monday October 2nd 2017. He was born to Beverly Brooks and Clarence Guy Walker in Salt Lake City on December 31st 1945. He was the oldest of 4 brothers and one sister. John Phillip (Renae, Ben, Lisa), Guy (John Paul (JP) and Whitney, Bobby (Lek), and Marianne (Kirk, Brighton, Brandt). He is survived by his wife Jayne and 6 children, Brooke, Sean (Julie) Emily (Dave), Amy, Mary-Jayne (Sukhi), and Christian Jay who we all know as C.J. Brooke gave him 2 granddaughters Alexandrea and McKenzie. Alexandrea gave him Xander his great grandson. Emily gave him Tayler, Silas, Cole, Noah, and baby Alice. Amy brought Gage and Tyler to the fold. Mary-Jayne gave him Mira. He was preceded to the great beyond by his dear brother Guy, beloved mother, and his father whom he must be thanking for that 10 dollars at this time. Steve was a real character of love and humor. At a very young age he could memorize long poems and recite them with flare. He was a Spud Nut salesman at the age of 10, wearing a wire basket stacked with white sacks of those delicious fresh made donuts. From this he learned he could make money selling with his smile. He worked at Snelgrove's Ice Cream Store at the age of 15. His love for ice cream never waned, and he was able to instruct others on how to properly make a variety of ice cream treats. Kay and Red hired him to bus tables and peel potatoes at their then landmark cafe, across from Liberty Park. Kay showed him a great amount of love and acceptance that he would recall with great fondness. He was an Eagle Scout and during that quest he attended the Boy Scout Jamboree at Valley Forge, PA in 1964. During the Jamboree, Steve represented the State of Utah at the New Jersey Sesquicentennial celebration. He became a counselor at Tracy Wigwam located up Mill Creek Canyon. There he learned camp songs he would lead to make any car ride a party. He always kept his merit badge sash, which is covered with small round patches sewed on by his mother, close at hand in case he needed to validate his knowledge from anything from archery to fingerprinting. He attended Forest School, Irving Jr High, and South High in Salt Lake City. In high school he loved to race around in his Pontiac 2+2 as he worked pumping gas for Texaco. At this point he would most likely belt out the song of the Texaco Star. He married his high school sweetheart, Shawna Turner at the age of 20 and joined the Utah National Guard. He was trained as a flash ranger at Fort Sill, Oklahoma and made lifelong friends during subsequent weekends, where he also learned to love playing cards. In his early 20’s he was an outstanding salesman for Pitney Bowes and was the recipient of the Blynn B. Beck Award. At that time he was the youngest sales trainer who worked for Pitney Bowes. At this point you would hear about his sale to the University of Utah and to the Donny and Marie Fan Club. He left Utah and worked on Wall Street as a stock trader, and he always claimed that New York has the best restaurants and most amazing energy. He then traveled to the Pacific Northwest where he met the love of his life and wife of 42 years, Jayne Ann Bisconer. To be close to his first two children, they moved back to Salt Lake. Together they opened a flower shop in downtown Salt Lake called Ruby Begonias. He also went into business with his brothers, where he over saw a crew that worked 24 hours a day to refinish the floors and bricks of every square inch of Trolley Square. He then worked for Jimmy Greensides at Sugarhouse Moving and Storage (Bekins). Many know there is a quarter for being the first to spot a Bekins truck. Jayne and Steve left Utah and moved to Yakima Washington where he lived out his days with joy playing cards, whenever he could, at Nob Hill Casino. He had lots of favorite movies. The mention of “The Professional” will conclude this tribute to you Steve. Steve related himself with this movie. Here are the words of the final song, that he downloaded and played for me again and again, especially in the last few years. This song (Shape of My Heart, performed by Sting) is played at the end of this movie that Steve loved and watched many times (100?) without growing tired of it. He thought it symbolized what he really felt he would do to show his love to me. I never particularly wanted to draw this unspoken parody from this movie, because I didn’t like to think of myself as a child to his maturity. Because of his maturity, he allowed me that illusion. I loved him and he has fulfilled every aspect of the hero that this cinema is centered around. When you are in the mood for a wild ride, watch “The Professional” and see how a true hero, like Steve, frees another soul from the terror of an unwanted destiny. I love you Steve, and as I walk away with my plant of promise, I thank you for your final act of valor, giving me the all that you did, I know… what you were saying… I always did. With love, Jayne He deals the cards as a meditation And those he plays never suspect He doesn't play for the money he wins He don't play for respect He deals the cards to find the answer The sacred geometry of chance The hidden law of a probable outcome The numbers lead a dance I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier I know that the clubs are weapons of war I know that diamonds mean money for this art But that's not the shape of my heart He may play the jack of diamonds He may lay the queen of spades He may conceal a king in his hand While the memory of it fades I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier I know that the clubs are weapons of war I know that diamonds mean money for this art But that's not the shape of my heart That's not the shape The shape… To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Stephen Walker, please visit our flower store.