Profile in Callers and Cuers

  

Dave was introduced to square dancing in 1952 at the age of 15. He began calling the same year. Most dances at that time were live music. His abilities as a caller were very limited for several years. While with the air force and stationed in Hawaii, Dave began calling for the "Hayseeds" square dance club. He continued calling for them until 1959 when he returned to Arizona. After being discharged from the service in 1959 he purchased his first real sound system and started calling for the Sunset Squares which later became Merry Mixers. Western Whirlers square dance club was founded in 1963 by Dave and he still calls for them today. Dave became a full time square dance caller in 1992 and enjoys calling more than ever. Over the years, he has called in many states and several foreign countries. Dave called for the Green Valley Squares in Green Valley for over eleven years. In 2004 Dave took over the calling duties at The Voyager R.V. Resort in Tucson where he conducts a full program. He also is the caller for Swinging Saguaros. Dave and Ginny helped to co-host the Germany trips in 1999 and 2005. If you ask Dave what draws him to square dancing calling he would say "the fun of it and the nicest people in the world". "The good people you meet and the great friends you make are what is important". That is why Dave still calls square dances after all these years.

David Lee Walker (83) was born at home on September 14, 1937, in Sibley, Illinois. He passed away on August 20, 2021, in Tucson, Arizona. With the exception of a few years of military service, Dave spent the last 70 years of his life in Tucson. In his teen years, Dave was a mechanic by day and a square dance caller by night. While he eventually pursued a different daytime career, Dave continued to call square dancing throughout his life, traveling to faraway places inside and outside the country to do so. He became well known in the square dancing community as one of the best callers around. It wasn’t until his mid-seventies that Dave took leave from square dance calling to care for his ailing wife. As a young man, Dave served four years in the Air Force, with most of the time spent living in Hawaii. It was during this time that he married his first wife, Charlotte. Together they had four children. Upon returning to the mainland and being discharged from the military, Dave went to work at Hughes Aircraft. He worked there as a computer programmer for his entire career. Dave and Charlotte divorced in 1997. Dave later met and married Virginia Donovan (“Ginny”). They enjoyed 20 years of traveling, shopping yard sales, eating out, square and round dancing, and puttering around together. Dave’s love grew even deeper for Ginny in the final years of her life as he cared for her every need while she succumbed to the ravaging effects of dementia. His love, patience, and dedication to Ginny during her final years serve as a stellar example to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Dave was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in many capacities within the church including clerk, executive secretary, and counselor in a young single adult ward Bishopric. In addition, Dave supported two of his children both financially and emotionally as they served full-time missions for the church. As a man of common sense and logic, Dave could fix, make, or build just about anything. As a husband and father, he was the fixer of all things broken. Later in life, Dave built a workshop and powered it entirely by solar panels he designed and built himself. His most recent projects involved all things 3D printed. He was especially handy at designing and producing replacement parts and miscellaneous pieces to help out with his son’s new camera store. Dave’s mother (Alleyne), daughter (Lynne), father (Marvin), step-mother (Otti), step-daughter (Lee Vorves), sister (Billie Humphrey), and wife (Ginny) precede him in death. He is survived and will be missed dearly by his children, Lee (Marianne), Kerri (Todd), and Jodi (Byron); step-son, Jeff (Veronica) Donovan; grandchildren, Allison (Warren), Sean (Elise), Kelly (Loren), Katie, Aaron, Kenna (Ben), Colby, Megan, Ryan, and Braden; great-grandchildren, Dani, Weston, Marshall, Grant, Andrew, and a baby girl on the way; brother, Mike (Sandy); and grand-dogs, Dale and Ozzy. Funeral services were held at 10:00am on Saturday, August 28, 2021 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 105 N Norton, Tucson, AZ 85719, with visitation at 9:00am. A graveside service was held following the funeral at the Binghampton Cemetery, 4001 N Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85718.

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