 WALKER, HARLEY EDWARD Eddie passed through eternity's gates on the afternoon of November 21, 2013, from his home in Albuquerque. He was born near Afton, Oklahoma, on December 24, 1922, to Martin Franklin and Gladys Mae (Cunningham) Walker, a "Christmas Gift" as he sometimes remarked. He is survived by his step-daughter, Linda Nellist, and her daughter, Melissa, both of California; a step-son, Gene D. Watkins and his wife, Sue, of Texas; two brothers: Raymond M. Walker and his wife, Patricia, of Ohio; and Robert L. Walker and his wife, Eileen, of Albuquerque; and treasured nieces and nephews. Preceding him into eternity were his first wife, Gerean M. Walker; his second wife, Mildred W. Walker; his sister, Margaret W. Allman, and her husband, Dr. Charles A. Allman; and a niece, Donna Rebecca Allen. Eddie was a bright personality with abundant intellectual gifts. He was an honor graduate of his high school, and a cum laude graduate of John Brown University, Siloam Springs, Arkansas, with a degree in Electrical Engineering. His distinguished World War II career included enlistment and commissioning as an officer in the Army Air Corps and assignment to the Manhattan Project, the effort that ended the war. Before arriving at his duty station at Wendover, Utah, he trained at Yale, Harvard, and MIT in Advanced Radar Studies, and taught for a time in those same schools. He also worked at Los Alamos in its deep secret days in developing nuclear weapons, but his primary duty was the design and testing of the radar fuse that triggered the bomb, and he missed the mission for first use of the weapon by a coin flip with another Radar Officer. He left military service in 1946, and was involved in broadcast radio stations in Arkansas and Oklahoma before joining Sandia Laboratories in 1951 with Reliability and Quality Assurance responsibilities. Eddie was a Life Member of various engineering professional organizations, a State of New Mexico Registered Engineer, and a founding director of Starline Corporation. He was, as well, a Life Member of Disabled America Veterans, having undergone above-the-knee amputation in 1952. Eddie left this message for his friends in the Duke City Bridge Club: "Eddie liked to play bridge; he was a member of the Duke City Bridge Club. Eddie was a Diamond Life Master in the ACBL, the American Contract Bridge League. His last contract was his worst; he'll end up down six." Dawn, Brenda, Patsy and Carol of Presbyterian Hospice encouraged, cheered, and brightened Eddie's hours in the long days of his illness. They are remembered with love and gratitude. A celebration of Eddie's life is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, December 14, at 2:00 in the sanctuary of St. Paul's United Methodist Church-of which he was a member, and to which memorials may be directed. The church is located at 9500 Constitution Avenue, NE, Albuquerque. The church's pastor, the Rev. Doug Chapman, will be joined by Eddie's niece, the Rev. Patricia E. Walker, and his nephew, the Rev. Robert M. Walker, in officiating at the Celebration. To leave online condolences, visit www.danielsfuneral.com.
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