Funeral Service: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 11:00 am at the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Roundup.
Interment: will follow at the Musselshell Cemetery
Grace A. Walker, of Roundup, MT, passed away on July 9, 2010 at the Roundup Memorial Hospital & Nursing Home at the age of 103.
Grace was born July 3, 1907 to English parents, Ernest and Mabel (Hall) Travess in Sully County, South Dakota. She was the oldest in a family of five daughters and as she was very capable, became her father's right hand man. She walked to a country school in the lower grades but as she got older rode horseback or drove a horse & buggy. Grace told of being in the first grade and school being let out so the students could see the first car in the area. It was owned by a cattle buyer traveling through on whatever trail he could find. She could harness a team of horses and was always very good with cattle. Grace graduated from high school in Gettysburg, S.D., where she took Normal Training and Primary Plansi to receive her second grade teacher's certificate. She taught third grade in a country school following her graduation and paid $25 per month for her board& room. Her teacher's salary varied from $70 to $90 per month (during the depression years the pay vouchers weren't worth even that.) Grace went to school during the summer months and obtained her second and first grade teaching certificates in 1928. These certificates authorized her to teach any of the elementary grades in the public schools of South Dakota.
She married George T. Walker Sr. on November 28, 1930 in Gettysburg, S.D. He was a graduate of Sweeny Auto School in St. Louis, Mo. where he received a certificate in diesel mechanics. During their first year of marriage they stayed in a boarding house in S.D., paying $15 per month for board & room. In April of 1931, George left for the Heald Ranch near Cody, Wyo. which was a sheep ranch and he worked as the camp tender saving money for Grace to join him in the fall. She traveled by train to Cody and was hired on the ranch as the head cook. There was a cook finishing his term there and since Grace didn't know much about cooking watched him very intently until his time was finished. She cooked for up to 30 men a day belonging to the lambing crew, the haying crew, the irrigating crew or shearing crew, depending on whatever chores needed to be done at the time. As the son of the ranch owner recalled, "it was tough eating at first, but she mastered the culinary art okay." Grace became an excellent cook and loved to peruse cook books and recipes, she was also an avid gardener.
Grace & George stayed on the ranch for five years. By this time they had two sons, George, Jr. and Richard and moved into Cody where George worked as a mechanic, then as Transportation Superintendent for Husky Oil Co. The family grew and added two daughters, Eleanor & Susan to their number. Shortly after, Mr. Heald, the former owner of the Heald Ranch, offered to form a partnership with them and buy a ranch in the Bull Mountains of Montana. So, in 1945, the family moved to Montana, to the former Ben Steele ranch, and began their long establishment in the Musselshell community. There they found a treasury of neighbors, the John Turley Sr. and the Gerald Turley Sr. families, the Hudsons', Smedings', Moores', Archers' & Treibles', to name a few. The partnership of Heald & Walker eventually was dissolved and the ranch sold. George & Grace then purchased land and began to successfully build their own ranch south of Musselshell.
Grace was a very active member of the community, being involved in the Musselshell Homemakers Club, Eastern Star at the Musselshell Lodge, Musselshell Cowbells, Musselshell Community Dinners, and Senior Citizens of the Musselshell/Melstone area, and possibly more. Following George's death in 1996 Grace remained on the ranch, living by herself. She enjoyed having contact with whatever was going on at the ranch along with having cattle of her own clear up into her late nineties. She was an avid pinochle player and loved attending the weekly Senior Citizens dinner in Melstone, until failing health forced her to move to assisted living in Roundup, Mt. She then became involved in several pinochle groups and played three times a week. She fell and broke her hip in May of 2004 which made it difficult to continue the independent lifestyle in which she was accustomed. She was a resident of the Roundup Memorial Nursing Home her final years. During the celebration of her 102nd birthday she recited "In Flanders Fields" from memory, which she had learned as a school girl during World War I.
Grace is survived by all four children, thirteen grandchildren, and several great grandchildren. Survivors include her sons, George, T. Walker, Jr. of Seward, AK.& Richard E. Walker of Huntley, MT. daughters, Eleanor Nelson (Don) of Miles City, MT. and Susan Harmon of Bainville, MT. Her daughters-in-law are Agnes Walker of Anchorage, AI, and Packy Walker of Huntley, Mt. Grandchildren: Patricia Walker, Leslie Walker, Craig Walker (Melinda) & son Kellen of Anchorage, AK. Richard E. Walker, Jr.(Joy) and sons Jory & Travis of Minot, N.D., Bruce Walker (Pallia) and daughters Sarah & Laura Walker of Billings, MT., Remington & Stephanie LeClair & Thomas & Liz Mentzer of Roundup, MT. Brian Walker (Justine)and children Loren, Emily & Dixon all of Huntley, MT, Randy Walker (Robin)and sons Sam & Andy of Anchorage, AK., Keith Nelson (Ericka)and sons Aaron & Nick of Melstone, MT., Pallia Howe (Earl)and sons Ryan & Kyle of Miles City, MT., Sheila Gunstone (Eric)and sons Daniel & Shane of Sumner, W A., Michelle Trapa (Bob )and children Haley & Knox of Gresham, OR., Jill Garman (Shane)and children Waylon, Shayla, Cleve, Fallon & Farrah of Bainville, MT. and Heidi Konynenbelt (James)and children Jordan, Kevy, Vanessa & Eric of Fergus Falls, MN. She is also survived by one sister, Elsie (Bill) Thomas of Springfield, OR. Grace was preceded in death by her husband George, her grandson George T. Walker, III, son-in-law Carter Harmon, her parents, two brothers and four sisters.
The family wishes to express their thanks and appreciation to the Roundup Memorial Nursing Home for the wonderful care extended to our mother.
Memorials may be made to Friends of Musselshell School or the Roundup Memorial Extended Care.
Stevenson & Sons Funeral Home of Miles City has been entrusted with the arrangements.
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