Nancy Walker, worked for social justice

When Clara Walker Beier was sorting through her mother's things last week, she stumbled upon a note written more than 20 years ago by the late Rev. Dale Turner, a longtime local minister and Seattle Times religion columnist.

In the note addressed to Beier's mother, Anne "Nancy" Goodfellow Walker, Turner wrote:

"In 40 years of ministry, never have I known a lay person who could speak so eloquently for every worthwhile cause and had the courage and intelligence to do so. You are a wonder! Believe me, ours is a better world because you are in it."

According to her daughter and her husband, Kirby Walker, Mrs. Walker was a true champion of the underdog who spent the bulk of her life working to promote social justice through her church, community organizations, city boards and the University of Washington's School of Social Work.

Outspoken but never overbearing, Mrs. Walker was especially passionate about ensuring everyone — regardless of skin color or income bracket — had the same opportunities for a good education and a decent place to live.

"Remember who you are and what you stand for ... Mom lived that, she breathed that and she did it in a very dignified way," Beier said.

Mrs. Walker was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1992, and her health steadily deteriorated over the past five years. She died Aug. 25 at The Hearthstone, a retirement community in Seattle's Green Lake neighborhood. She was 84.

Nancy Goodfellow was born Oct. 13, 1921, in the Weyerhaeuser Co. hospital in the former mill town of Snoqualmie Falls. When she was still an infant, her parents moved to Seattle, where Mrs. Walker lived except for a handful of years she spent teaching high-school home economics in Buckley, Pierce County, and later, in Maui, Hawaii.

After attending University Heights Elementary School and Roosevelt High School, Mrs. Walker — a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society — graduated magna cum laude from the University of Washington in 1942 with a degree in nutritional sciences. While at the UW, Mrs. Walker was active in the YWCA. She protested the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

She moved to Maui in 1944 and it was there that she met her husband, a decorated captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. The couple married in 1946 and returned to Seattle the next year.

Mrs. Walker's maternal grandparents were among the first to join University Congregational United Church of Christ, a church long known for its outreach to the poor and disenfranchised.

Upon her return to Seattle, she again immersed herself in church life, becoming a leader and mentor who, at every church budget meeting, lobbied to increase spending "for mission efforts to care for those in need," said Margaret Rose, 83, the daughter of one of the church's former ministers.

"She was gentle but also very solid and firm, very convicted in making things better for those who couldn't do it on their own," said Rose, a lifelong friend. "She was never afraid of anything. She was an amazing woman, and she had a huge impact in this city."

In 1963, Mrs. Walker was appointed by the mayor as a charter member of the Seattle Human Rights Commission to address issues of fair housing. She was active in the YWCA, the Better Business Bureau and the United Way, family and friends said.

She served for 10 years as treasurer for the Church Council of Greater Seattle and was a committee member for the national board of the United Church of Christ.

Well-read and politically astute, Mrs. Walker was a founding member of the UW's School of Social Work advisory committee and for nearly 30 years remained a loyal supporter and community ambassador for the school.

"She was ahead of her time," said Dorothy Van Soest, a UW professor and dean emeritus of the school. "Her passion grew not out of an ideology but a love for humanity. She was the ultimate humanitarian."

In addition to her husband and daughter, Mrs. Walker is survived by her sons and daughters-in-law, Dee and Sally Walker of Woodinville, and Bill and Cathy Walker of Bothell; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

A family graveside service was held for Mrs. Walker on Friday at Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery. A celebration of her life is planned for 10 a.m. Saturday at University Congregational United Church of Christ, 4515 16th Ave. N.E. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the UW School of Social Work, YWCA, the Alzheimer's Association or to organizations supporting stem-cell research.

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com