Our "See you next time," - John Corey Walker's Celebration of Life

-

Planning a service for someone is ... unnerving. You want to make choices to honor them but also to help people grieve, including yourself. Attempting to go through 24 years of photos, memories, songs, and just the day to day life, it was hard... really hard. All in all, I wanted the day to be about him and it truly was. 

For those whose attended, thank you for joining us. We weren't expecting over 200 people to send him off but we were so thankful to share the day with each of you. 

There are many who weren't able to attend the service on 12/22. I was asked if it would be aired or a recording posted. As much as I want to share him, I don't want to share the rawness that we all experienced that day. I know holiday travel, schedules, events, etc kept many from being able to attend. I thought we could share some of the day with you, since you couldn't be there in person. 

Eulogy Read by Uncle Tim (Written by Chris Young and Sarah Walker) click here

Tribute from Sarah click here

Reading by Uncle Rolando click here

Scripture reading and service, by Mike Regina: John 11:17-37

Song recording played: Lost Boy by Ruth B. (reference in my tribute)

Song preformed, by Chris Young: Pink Floyd's Wish you were here

Flowers: white peonies and hydrangeas (He loved to draw peonies.)

His favorite things: In honor of the holiday and him, I wanted to bring some of his favorite things to the lunch that was served. 

Every Saturday morning, he and I went on a coffee date to Steady Coffee Co. Steady served up their coffee for him, one last time, something I'm certain he was stoked about. At the coffee table, we had HIS coffee syrup. He would make this syrup regularly. He loved to brew coffee and make his own fancy concoctions, while he was between calls or on the run, he'd use Instant Cafe Bustelo Espresso Instant Coffee with his coffee syrup recipe. The syrup served at the event, he made the morning he passed. click here for recipe

ChEfvan (Chef Evan Fowler), one of our favorite humans, catered the event. We had his TCOP bbq sauce served with pulled pork. He was always so proud to make his own bbq sauce and rubs (pork, chicken, and beef). I'm forever grateful that he wrote these things down and shared his love for cooking with me. I can't wait to pass these down to Judah. Who knows, maybe Judah will one day be a bbq champion too! If you don't know about this part of his life, feel free to ask! Evan also used his chorizo in some stuffed peppers. JW hadn't made any in a while. Our dear friend, Alex, told us she'd never had his chorizo. Of course he had to make some!! The day before Thanksgiving he made 6lbs. I'm so glad he made a good bit extra and we had some in the freezer to use for his event. 

Judah wanted to make sure we served Cheerwine... only in the glass bottle, of course. Cheerwine is a love that Corey and Judah both shared. He'd often grab a few bottles as a surprise for Judah or pick them up for a special meal he was making. If you've never had it, have one in his honor!

I think there were other things too but I honestly can't remember. 

I've attached a few photos, though I'll admit, I didn't take any the day off. I don't have pictures of the flowers on the tables or the food/outdoor area. I honestly never even made it outside! 

I've still had a few ask how they can help or contribute. As of now, Judah and I are ok and I think we will be. That's not to say that Judah might not need a sitter, mentor, friend, or that I might not need the same. I assure you, I will ask. 

If you'd like to make a contribution in his honor, please consider the CWA Turkey Drop . Every year, CWA (his firm) and St Matthew's House, get together to make meals for Southwest Florida families. When the cause began (20 years ago), they donated 25 turkeys. This year 6,000 families received full meals. Every year, he'd travel to Naples (where is home office is), to participate in the event. In 2023, he was truly sad that his heart attack may have kept him from attending. Only, he received the all clear and was able to attend. Just a week and a half before he passed, he was in Naples supporting the 20th Anniversay event.(Photo below) A donation would reflect John’s generous and compassionate spirit but also, honor a cause that was dear to his heart. Note, funds are collected all year for this event. Any contributions made now, will be applied to the 2025 Turkey Drop, an event I hope to participate in myself.  

Thank you for sharing him,  his legacy, and his day with us. 

Sarah and The Dude 


Comments

  1. MamaToAidanJanuary 5, 2025 at 8:15 PM

    Please let me know when the Turkey Drop is! I would love to come and help!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What's next for the Walkers, now a crew of 2

-
  (Sharing my last social media post. As going forward I'll be using this blog to share life.) From Sarah (John's Wife): This will be my last social media post because I/we simply aren't big on social media.  Thank you to all of you who have honored John Corey Walker. The cards, calls, texts, flowers, meals, support... thank you doesn't quite cover it. Reading your words and knowing the legacy he's left within each of you, it's comforting. Difficult, yes, but comforting. (See end of post if you'd like to share a message/memory with Judah.) Losing Corey, or as most know him, Johnny/John, has been __________ . Any of the hard words can go in that blank space and it still wouldn't be enough to describe the way Judah and I feel... how many of you feel.  Many clients, colleagues, and friends have stated they'll miss his regular updates about our family. If you knew him, you knew he often spoke of us. He'd drip in little details of our lives in conve...
Read more

This and That

-
It's hard to believe that we've made it to the 6 month mark. Well, almost. I say it often, it feels like yesterday but like an eternity. It's definitely not the forever you imagine. I don't think I ever thought I'd wake within the first 5 decades of my life and know this type of loss. It's odd though, because I often feel like he's been forgotten. Then, out of nowhere, someone will share a memory or I'll receive a text to tell me he's missed. No matter how many times you wish the world stood still with you, it simply doesn't. There's not been one day that I've not shed a tear or wished it was me. It's been an eventful 3 months, I suppose. Navigating through all of the "firsts"... it's not fun... We went on our first family vacation with our "adopted" crew. For those that don't know, we have a couple of stray kiddos that we love dearly. We met them while attending Judah's old karate school. They star...
Read more