Melvin “Bud” Alexander Walker

Melvin “Bud” Alexander Walker, 72, of Morganton, NC entered heaven on Friday, March 31, 2017 after a brave battle with dementia and Parkinson’s disease.  Born in Burke County, NC on July 1, 1944, he was the son of the late William Alexander Walker and Bonnie Mae Michaels Walker.  Bud was a member of Mt. Home Baptist Church and was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War.  He graduated from Salem High School in 1962 and attended Western Piedmont Community College.  He owned and operated several local auto businesses and worked in land development in his later years.  He was an avid hunter and fisherman and was successful in the B.A.S.S. Tournament.

Bud is survived by his wife, Sandra Barger Walker of the home; children, Melita A. Whisnant and husband, Sanford, and Shelly L. Hunt and husband, Joshua, all of Morganton; grandchildren, Juliana Whisnant, Alex Whisnant, Sydney Hunt, and Ethan Hunt; siblings, Shirley Perkins, Carolyn Crowder, Lena Lail, and Donald Walker; and his mother-in-law, Lucy Mull Barger.

In addition to his parents, Bud was preceded in death by a brother, Marshall Walker.

The family would like to express their heartfelt appreciation to the NC State Veterans Home and Care Partners of the Buncombe County Hospice Team for their compassion and loving care.

The family will receive friends from 4 to 5:30 p.m., Sunday, April 2, 2017 at Sossoman Funeral Home.  The funeral will be held at 4 pm, Monday, April 3, 2017 at Mt. Home Baptist Church with the Rev. Jerry Gamble and Chaplain Jack Taylor officiating.  Burial will follow in the church cemetery with military honors provided by the N.C. National Guard and the Caldwell County Veterans Honor Guard.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Mt. Home Baptist Church Graceful Giving Fund, 2272 Mt. Home Church Road, Morganton, NC 28655 or to the Care Partner Foundation, P.O. Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813.

Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family with the arrangements.