Karen "Stuffy" D. (McCullum) Walker

KAREN D. WALKER
“STUFFY”

What do you get when you mix love, glamour, a grand sense of humor, and a big heart willing to help anyone in her path, well that is Karen Denise McCullum Walker.  She was born to Clote and Rose McCullum and made her debut into this world on March 7, 1959. She was the youngest of five children. She made her transition into eternity while smiling at her family at her side on October 7, 2018.  

Karen, affectionately called “Stuffy” accepted Christ at an early age at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Dr. Isaac Singleton.  She was in the Sunshine Choir and she was a Jr. Usher.

Karen attended Joliet Public Schools, McKinley Park and Dirksen Jr. High.  It was at Dirksen, she became a cheerleader.  She later graduated from Joliet West High School in 1977 and she went on to attend and graduate from Barbizon School of Modeling in Chicago, IL.

Karen’s list of employment consisted of the Paul Harris Department Store, Klines Department Store, and First National Bank of Joliet.  She later worked for 28 years in the Will County Treasurer Office up until her transition. Co-workers say Karen was an incredible friend with an indomitable spirit. Even though cancer won the physical battle, anyone who knows Karen knows it did not beat her. All of us in the Treasurer's Office are heartbroken and will miss her dearly.

In 1995, Karen met the love of her life and married Darwin Walker on July 27th.  They have been married for 23 years.

Karen loved to travel, shop, bowl and spending time with her family.  Family and friends are all too familiar with her big heart.  They say she would give you the shirt off her back.  Another says she even lent her car to someone so they could drive out of town to interview for a job.  Still others talk about when they needed help with their taxes, their lives; she was truly a problem solver and a solutionist they could trust.

Karen is preceded in death by her parents, Clote and Rose McCullum, her grandparents, George and Willie Mae McCullum and Dewey and Della McCoy, her brothers-in-law, Gazzaro (Eva) Walker and Rocko (Vanesa) Walker.

She leaves in the loving hands of God, her devoted husband, Darwin Walker, one brother,  Robert (Jacqueline) McCullum of Peoria, IL; three sisters, Linda Blackmon, Wanda (David-deceased) Hill, Debra McCullum, all of Joliet, IL;  two aunts,  Allie (Ulmer-deceased) Evans, Helen (Jake-deceased) Edwards of Joliet; two uncles, Henry (Kathleen) McCoy of Laurel, MS and Charley (Edna) Cooley of Memphis, TN; brother-in-law, Brodrin Walker of Bolingbrook, IL. She further leaves a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends to cherish her memory and legacy.

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