Flora K. Walker

Flora K. (Sis Demok) Walker was born on January 11, 1920 to Alex and Flora Demok. She was one of seven children. She was preceded in death by her parents, her three sisters, Ann Richardson, Elizabeth Padon, and Lois Jackett as well as her three brothers, Steve, John, and Pete Demok. One nephew, Terry Richardson also preceded her in death. She is survived by six nieces and nephews and many great and great, great nieces and nephews.

Flora married Russell A. Walker on March 17, 1949. This marriage ended in divorce 20 years later. There were no children as a result of this marriage.

Flora grew up in the Barnum area in West Denver, attended Villa Park (name later changed to Eagleton) School, Lake Jr. High School, and West High School. She graduated in 1938. A couple of years after graduating, she was employed part time by the Food Stamp Division of the Department of Agriculture and then for two years by the Betumenous Coal Division of the Department of Interior (a war-time agency.) Upon the closing of that office she was permanently employed by the Interior Department’s U.S. Geological Survey. Upon completion of almost forty years of service with the U.S. Government, Flora retired on January 13, 1979 and the following day, she started working full time for Glenn Coury of Coury & Associates. After seven years with Glenn, she took final retirement at the age of 66.

Flora loved her work with the Geological Survey. She received many Superior Accomplishment Awards during her career. She was interested in learning every aspect of the job; she was secretary, learned to do drafting jobs and map making, research work, and just about everything the geologists did except go to the field. She authored several publications, including the dry hole maps of Colorado and several coal bibliographies. She was the first person to handle the sale of geologic and topographic maps in the Rocky Mountain area and was instrumental in setting up the Survey’s Public Inquiries Office in the new Customs House.

Flora loved to type. She offered her services to many young college students and, at no cost to them, she typed their theses. Even after retirement, she continued to do typing jobs for many of her geologist friends, some of whom were also retired from the Survey and doing consulting jobs, some of them on foreign assignment.

In her youth, Flora loved tennis, softball, bicycling, bowling, and sewing, making clothes for herself and for family members and friends. She was also into ceramics for a numbers of years.

Flora was a member of the Degree of Pocahontas Lodge, the Auxiliary of the Improved Order of Redmen. She was a member of the competition drill team, and served a five year term as Secretary of the Lodge for the entire State of Colorado, earning the highest honors of the organization.

Flora was unable to have children of her own, but she loved all of her nieces and nephews, greats, and great, greats as if they were her very own. That love was more than returned by their love and respect, especially after two bad falls in 2007 that occurred about 1 ½ months apart at the age of 87. The falls resulted in a fractured pelvis and a broken hip. Flora was in rehab at Western Hills Care Center for three months and then moved to the retirement community at the Westland Meridian in Lakewood. In March 2012, she moved to the Sterling House of Loveland, an assisted living community where she lived until her death on December 16, 2012.

The family wishes to thank the Westland Meridian, The Sterling House of Loveland and Pathways Hospice for the excellent and compassionate care that they provided for Flora.