Lillian Marie Hefinger Walker
In a recent article on positive aging, an expert said, “Engage in life as much as you can. It takes energy. But if you don’t find your center point, you’ll end up drifting through life sideways.” Lillian Walker could have authored that article.
Celebrating her 100th birthday on November 22, 2012, Walker was surrounded by her family, her friends and her caregivers, who reminisced about her century of quiet, compassionate engagement.
Daughter Chris Magrega, a speech therapist in Vancouver, B.C., remembers her mother’s teaching career. Walker returned to Jacksonville University as an adult student. She taught at St.Paul’s Catholic, Riverside Presbyterian, and West Riverside. She received the Teacher/Student Humanitarian award at West Riverside in 1972.
“Mom did not start teaching until I went to school. My older brothers David, Stephen and John were already in school. Mom and I could walk to school because our house was on College Street where we moved in 1952.
“Walker was a really good name for us. My mother and Cobourn Walker, my father, loved to walk the neighborhood. Frequently, they could be seen walking down to 5 Points, to the Banner Foods on Oak, or to First Guaranty Bank. They were usually holding hands.
“One of their favorite stops was Berg’s Bistro at St.Vincent’s hospital. The cashiers and the custodians would leave their stations to hug my parents. This also happened as we walked the hospital halls. Everyone told me how much they loved seeing my parents smiling and holding hands. Dennis Magrega, my husband who is a therapist, used to comment that the light of Christ seemed to shine through my folks.
“Down the street from the hospital, was First Guaranty. As a pair of the bank’s first depositors, my parents were treated as royalty when they entered for even a minor transaction. Officers came out from behind their desks to talk to them. They became friends with the founder, Hickory Fant.”
John Walker, a financial planner in Longwood, Florida, recalls his mother’s extensive involvement in civic organizations, many of which supported community musical events.
“Mom was one of RAP’s original members. She loved Luminary and helped with that. She was also an active member of the Delius Society, WOJAM, St. Vincent’s and St. Catherine Laboure’s volunteers. She and my father were founding members of St.Michael the Archangel Traditional Catholic Church on the Southside.
“We were all encouraged to be musical. The entire family attended the concerts at the Prudential Auditorium. Mom played the piano; my sister took piano lessons from Genevieve McMurray on Belvedere. I was in the Jacksonville Junior Symphony and majored in Music therapy at Florida State.”
Elaine Walker, a daughter-in-law, brings a stack of small, brightly colored books to the birthday table. “That,” says Elaine “is only one year.” The stack consists of journals that Lillian Walker has kept for most of her adult life. Each day is meticulously recorded to honor the day’s challenges and its blessings. In this way, she managed to turn events into experience.
Walker’s caregivers include son David, Adela Mejia and Glenda Atkins. David told the family when their father died in 2003 that he would coordinate health care for his mother for a short period of time. That period has now expanded to almost a decade and David is still positive and patient. “I wouldn’t have traded this time with Mom for the world.”
In the year of the anniversary of Florida’s discovery, authorities on conscious aging are saying that the modern Fountain of Youth is fed by the streams of faith, physical activity, individual connection, and commitment to community. Historic District dweller Lillian Walker exudes her own authority. In her century in the District, she has never drifted sideways, even for a moment.
By Victoria Freeman
Resident Community News
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