D. Duane Walker

Dorsie “Duane” Walker, was born February 17, 1945, in Kansas City, Missouri. He was the second of three children born to Cleva Jane (Dawson) Gunnels Walker. Duane’s father, Dorsey Talbert Gunnels, passed away when Duane was very young. His mother then married John Walker. Together, Cleva and John raised Duane and welcomed another son, Mike, and his older sister, Janie. Raised and educated in Tulsa, Duane completed school at Nathan Hale. He met Linda Taylor Schlatter after having been married three other times. His first wife was also named Linda, and the joke was he went through the alphabet and had to start over. He was blessed with a daughter, Diane Walker, by his first marriage, and in his last marriage he was blessed with a stepson, Chris Schlatter, who was a son. Linda and Duane were married 34 years, and Linda helped make him the man he was both in business and on the social scene. Duane started out working at the Texaco on 41st and Yale for his dad John and eventually moved to working for Auto Crane as a mechanic. His boss saw great potential in Duane, who became a regional sales manager. In his career, Duane traveled to every state in the union and to Canada and Italy. He worked for Ramsey Winch/Auto Crane for 33 years before taking on a new job in Montana where he had lived for more than 10 years. Duane loved to work hard and to play hard -- in fishing and in mechanics. A favorite hobby of his was souping up engines. He made cars, lawn mowers, boats, anything with an engine go faster with a Walker redesign. He was a member of a Jeep Club in Montana and loved to go off-roading with Linda and the bunnies they had over the years. He also had his own way of taking care of his personal items: home, cars, guns. There was the Walker way of taking care of things, and any other way was wrong. Hard-working Duane could be secretively generous. When talking about him, others have constantly used the phrase “he was a character.” When you got on his bad side, you and everyone around you would hear about it! In all seriousness, Duane was loved and will be deeply missed by those who knew him. He passed from this life on December 2, 2024. He was 79. He is survived by his favorite wife, Linda, and their children, Chris and Diane; his brother, Michael; his nephews by his sister Darren and Scott Farley; Scott’s wife, Kelley, and their children, Abbye and Emma. He was preceded in death by his birth father, Dorsie Gunnels; his parents, Cleva and John Walker; and his sister, Janie Farley. A celebration of Duane’s life will be held 10AM Saturday, December 21, 2024 at Clifford D Garrett Family Funeral Home Chapel in Muskogee with his daughter, Diane officiating. The family of Dorsie Duane Walker has entrusted his care, cremation and service to Clifford D Garrett Family Funeral Home and Crematory, Muskogee. 918-910-8883. Online condolences may be left for the Walker family at clifforddgarrettfamilyfh.com

D. Duane Walker

February 17, 1945 - December 2, 2024