Graham Brown Walker, 1929-2022 . IMB Photo
Graham Brown Walker, an International Mission Board missionary emeritus who shared the gospel in Singapore, died Nov. 4, 2022, in Snellville, Georgia. He was 93.
Graham was born Jan. 16, 1929, in Louisville, Kentucky, to the late William Clyde Walker and Leila Heitzman Walker. He graduated from Orlando High School in Orlando, Florida, and received the Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University.
Graham knew his wife, Laura Jeanne Francisco, from when they were young, and they married in 1951.
After graduating, Graham worked as a bookkeeper for the William C. Walker company in Orlando. During the Korean War, Graham served as an auditor for the U.S. Army in Atlanta, Georgia, and Chattanooga, Tennessee. He later worked as an auditor for the state of Florida and then was a partner with his father in their company Walker and Walker Accountants in Orlando.
He served at First Baptist Church in Orlando as deacon and chairman of the budget and finance committees.
Though supportive of missions in theory, Graham wrote in his letter seeking missionary appointment that he hadn’t considered missions personally until hearing Baker James Cauthen, a well-known Baptist pastor, preach at a state-wide evangelistic conference.
Graham noticed many of the pastors who were present didn’t seem to be responding to Cauthen’s urgent appeal.
“I began to question myself. Was I really willing to do whatever God wanted me to do regardless of what, when, where, and how?” Graham wrote in his letter seeking missionary appointment.
Graham and Jeanne were appointed by the Foreign Mission Board (now the International Mission Board) in 1969 to serve in Singapore.
His business and accounting background was put to good use. Graham served as a business manager and treasurer for the Malaysia-Singapore Baptist Mission and was the Foreign Mission Board business representative in Southeast Asia. He also served as chairman of the board for the Bangalore Baptist Hospital in India.
Graham enjoyed ministering through music. Graham led their choir at their church, Queenstown Baptist Church, in singing a cantata over the national radio in Singapore. The Walkers sang with their church along with other choirs at the Asia Baptist Women’s Union Conference that brought people from 18 countries in Southeast Asia.
The Walkers saw the church grow during their tenure. Sunday School attendance increased, an English Woman’s Missionary Union and Royal Ambassadors were started, and a library opened with books donated by Southern Baptists.
The Walkers wrote of the boldness of local believers who shared the gospel fervently.
“During our three years here, we have never seen such ‘holy boldness’ as is now being demonstrated – please pray for this new outreach ministry and the precious new Christians who are coming to know Jesus,” they wrote.
Queenstown Baptist Church sent out nine members, including Graham, to start a new church, New Life Baptist Church. Graham was passionate about church planting.
“We rejoice that hundreds of new Christians in Singapore today can celebrate their first Christmas as His. Imagine the thrill of singing ‘Joy to the World, the Lord is come’ for the first time, and know He has truly come into your heart, transforming lostness into life everlasting,” they wrote in a Christmas newsletter.
Graham and Jeanne retired after 28 years of missionary service. In their retirement, they lived in Florida, Tennessee and Georgia.
Graham is survived by his wife of 71 years, Jeanne Walker; and children, Graham Brown Walker, Jr. (Mimi), Laura Susan Walker (Carol), David Marshall Walker (Susan), and Amy Walker Coleman (Jim); seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held Dec. 28, 2022, at the Church at Ponce and Highland in Atlanta.
Read an obituary here.