Dorothy C. Walker

Dorothy Walker, 96, of Sioux City passed away on Tuesday, March 10, 2015 at Touchstone Living Center. Funeral services will be at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, March 16, 2015 at First United Methodist Church with Rev. Roger Madden officiating. Visitation will be on Sunday from 5-7 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. There will be a second service at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 4, 2015 at Knoxville United Methodist Church in Knoxville, IL and burial will follow the service at Memorial Park Cemetery in Galesburg, IL. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Online condolences may be sent to www.meyerbroschapels.com Mrs. Walker was born May 26, 1918 in Galesburg, IL. Her parents were Merle Cline and Lena Bliss Cline. She graduated from Galesburg High School, Knox College, and held a Masters Degree from American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. She married Everette L. Walker on June 17, 1945 in Chicago, IL As a violinist, she was active as a soloist, chamber music performer, symphony musician, and teacher. She played in the Chicago Women's Symphony, the Evansville Philharmonic, the Nashville Symphony, the Bloomington-Normal Symphony, the Sioux City Symphony, and the Sioux Falls Symphony. The Principle Second Violin Chair of the Sioux City Symphony was endowed in her honor by former students and friends. She was music supervisor for rural schools in Knox and Warren Counties in Illinois, taught in the preparatory department of the American Conservatory of Music, taught string classes in the Maywood and Melrose Park, IL, public schools. She also taught as an Adjunct Professor at Lambeth College, Northwest College, and Morningside College, as well as teaching privately in Bloomington, IL and Sioux City. Starting in 1962, she was one of the pioneers in the Suzuki Method of instruction in the United States. She made two trips to Japan for further study. She taught at Suzuki Institutes in this country for many years. Her students have performed for numerous church and civic groups. Many of them are symphony musicians, and some now supervise University-related Suzuki programs. After her retirement from the symphony, she and her husband taught ballroom dancing and round dancing. They also traveled extensively in order to round dance, especially during Januarys in Mesa, AZ. She also became a productive quilter. As a new member of the Siouxland Youth Symphony Committee she was coordinator of the joint program with the Sioux City Schools to start the Symphonette, a less experienced group of young musicians that would feed into the Youth Symphony. She was a member of First United Methodist Church including the Harmony Circle, Alpha Xi Delta, Phi Beta Kappa, Chapter MK of P.E.O., Schubert Club, Universal Round Dance Council, Eastern Nebraska Round Dance Assn., Reel and Rhythm Dance Club, and the Quilters Guild. She is survived by her daughters Judy Walker; Lynn (Jim) Johnson; son Steven C. Walker; grandson Trent (Sherry) Johnson; great grandchildren Braden Todd, Connor James, and Dylan Ray all of Sioux City; and a first cousin Dave (Brenda) Bliss of Abingdon, IL. She was preceded in death by her parents, step mother Inez Cline, her husband, and a grandson Todd Walker Johnson. The family wishes to thank all those who lovingly cared for Dorothy in her last two and a half years at TLC, also Hospice of Siouxland and Care Initiatives Hospice. Special thanks go to Jamie Young, her Music Therapist, who had a special way of reaching and touching Dorothy's musical soul. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be designated to First United Methodist Church, Sioux City Symphony, the Youth Symphony, or Knox College in Galesburg, IL.