Harold Templeton Walker

August 15, 2012

Harold Templeton Walker, 92, of Washington, Iowa, died on Monday, July 30, 2012 at the United Presbyterian Home in Washington.
Memorial services will be 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4, 2012 at the United Presbyterian Home with Pastor Bob Spilger officiating. The family will receive friends following the service at the United Presbyterian Home. Private family interment will take place at the Elm Grove Cemetery in Washington, Iowa.
Memorial gifts will be accepted for special needs of the Fern Cliff Church and/or the American Bible Society.  They can be sent in care of: Becky Elliott, PO Box 2064, Boyd, TX  76023.
Online condolences may be sent for Harold’s family through the web at www.jonesfh.com.
Harold was born Dec. 5, 1919 in Pawnee City, Neb., the son of John and Mary (Templeton) Walker. 
He married Mary Isabelle Walker on June 14, 1944. They had been married 66 years.
When Harold was 12 years old, he went forward at a tent revival meeting to commit his life to Missionary Service. 
He graduated from Pawnee City High School then went on to Tarkio College.  He earned a Masters Degree in Theology from Pitt-Xenia Seminary and later earned his Masters of Science Degree from Cornell University. 
He served as Pastor of a church in Keota, Iowa for a short time during which he and his wife, Isabelle, were called to the Mission Field in the Sudan, Africa. 
Together they established a school and church in Gedaref, Sudan, and later helped with a church in Wad Medani, Sudan. During that time Harold also trained evangelists from various tribes in the South Sudan so that they could go to their various villages and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In 1973 the Walkers returned to serve with the SIM mission Harold began the SIM Theological Training Center in Omdurman, Sudan and trained volunteer leaders for the Church by teaching an evening Bible School.  The training center later moved to Melut and continued to be upgraded as time went on.
In 1977 Harold and Isabelle received linguistic training from Wycliff Bible Translators and led the Literacy and Literature department of the Sudan Interior church. Their work with the department included translation.  Together they helped produce primers in the Dinka and Maaban languages. 
In 1980 Harold and Isabelle settled in Doro and began helping with the translation of the New Testament for the Maaban. Twenty-three books had been worked on by translators 10 years earlier before being evicted from the Sudan.  The Walkers worked on the remaining four books with the help of two Maaban translators.  The Walkers returned to the United States in 1986 but continued to work, revise, and correct all the books of the New Testament after their official retirement.  They had the great privilege of returning to the South Sudan to present the completed New Testament to the Maaban people.  With great rejoicing the people welcomed them “home.” 
They were asked to stay on but were past retirement age and their health would not permit it.
Harold and Isabelle worked in the literacy program teaching English both in Guymon, and Washington, Iowa.  In 1999 they received the Governor’s award for outstanding service to the State of Iowa in the field of education. Harold was a member of the Fern Cliff Evangelical Free Church and also a member of the Lions.
Harold is survived by two daughters, Becky Elliott and husband Bob of Boyd, Texas, and Sharon Foelz and husband Micha, of Altadena, Calif., two grandchildren, Jonathan Elliott, and Faith Adams, as well as seven great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, one son, Peter Walker, and his wife, Mary Isabelle Walker.