Dorothy Walker

Dorothy Joan Walker passed away on April 26, 2025, at the age of 91. She is survived by her children Blake Zuidema, Jan (Kendall) Koopman; stepchildren Liz Rogers, Dave (Maribeth Malecki) Walker, Carol (Lance) Wellbaum, Bill (Mary) Walker; grandchildren Michael Zuidema, David Zuidema, Christine Smith; step grandchildren Abby Rogers, Caroline Rogers, Graham Walker, Jackson Walker, Shannon Walker, Phoenix Wellbaum, Addison Walker, Grant Walker; several nieces and nephews. Dorothy delighted in her one great-grandchild, four-year-old Allyson Smith. She was preceded in death by her husband H. Carl Walker; daughter-in-law Wendy Zuidema; parents Clarence and Elizabeth Menning; siblings Deloris (Roscoe) Conner, Sylvia (Howard) Smallegan, Curtis (Daleene) Menning. Dorothy was born June 6, 1933, in Corsica, South Dakota. She lived on the family farm until the Dust Bowl forced a relocation to Grand Rapids, Michigan where she graduated from Union High School. In 1956 she married Marvin Zuidema and served as a Navy wife on Midway Island. Dorothy worked as an office manager in her husband's engineering firm and the two built a home in Jenison, Michigan, where they raised two children and were active in church and community. Marvin Zuidema passed away in a 1977 traffic accident. In 1984, Dorothy married H. Carl Walker and made Kalamazoo, Michigan her home. Dorothy worked at her husband's nationally recognized engineering firm while they pursued their many passions and charitable causes. In retirement they enjoyed spending summers at their Leelanau County cottage and winters at their Florida home until life slowed, and they spent their remaining years taking care of each other. Always optimistic, Dorothy was a kind and generous person. Funeral arrangements have been made through Langeland Family Funeral Home of Kalamazoo. Visitation will be held at the First United Methodist Church (212 S. Park St, Kalamazoo, Michigan) at 10:00 AM on Monday, May 5, 2025, followed by an 11:00 AM funeral service at the church. A luncheon for friends and family is planned after the service. A private family interment will take place at Grandville Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dorothy Walker's memory may be made to the general fund of the First United Methodist Church of Kalamazoo www.umc-kzo.org, or the Carl & Dorothy Walker Graduate Civil Engineering Fund https://donate.umich.edu/1wwwq