better late than never....again!

On April 21st my Dad turned 53! So....without anymore ado...




1. Donald Frederick Walker was born to Carl and Martha Walker on April 21, 1956 in Nashville, TN.

2. He now preaches and lives in Trenton, GA, right outside of Chattanooga, TN.


3. Before ending up in Trenton he had lived in Lineville, AL, Valdosta and Lake Park, GA, Jasper, FL, Jackson, MS, Lubbock, TX, Knoxville, TN, Charlotte NC, and, of course, Nashville, TN.

4. On August 3, 1979 he married Jamie Diane Garner Walker, his wife of almost thirty years now. He had just met her in November of 1978 and proposed in February of 1979. If you're doing your addition....I was born in July of 1980.


5. He played football while in Jr High but when he transferred to Georgia Christan they didn't have a football team.


6. He played basketball and baseball at Georgia Christian.


7. He played baseball at Lipscomb.


8. Until I was 11 he coached basketball, taught high school, and him and mom were dorm parents at Georgia Christian.


9. He then was a realtor.


10. Then he sold advertising for a cable company.


11. Next, he went into business with my NaNa and PaPa and they owned the first Alltel store in the Valdosta area.


12. When my PaPa got cancer they sold KLW Sales and that's when he finally gave in and became a full time preacher (he had been doing it part time for years!)


13. He has three daughters, Laurie Rene' Walker, 28; Louise Elizabeth Walker Jones, 25; and Donna Leigh Walker, 23. He now has a son (in-law) too, Dustin "Dirt" Jones.


14. He bleeds Tennessee orange (as all good people do!)


15. He always talks about how much he hates to shop but NO ONE enjoys finding a good deal more than him!


16. When he smiles big it looks like he is missing a tooth.


17. He has a numb spot on the side of his chin from a slip of the knife during a root canal. It's pretty funny because if food ever drops on it, he will go forever with it on there if no one tells him.


18. He is VERY MUCH a morning person!!! Unfortunately, NONE of the other four people in our house were or are!


19. He loves the Atlanta Braves.


20. He is the voice of the Dade County Trojans. He calls the football, basketball, baseball, and softball games on the radio.


21. He also has a morning radio show on local radio.


22. I don't think he has ever worked only eight hours in a day or has ever only worked five days in a week.


23. He is almost a clone of his dad!


24. Since he didn't have any boys he passed his love and knowledge of sports on to his daughters.


25. He cannot just sit down and watch a tv show. He changes it at the very hint of a commercial.


26. He is an amazing evangelist.


27. He is on the board of directors at the Philippine Theological College.


28. He was always very good at math and sciences. Even though NO ONE would have accused him of being a good student, he never had any trouble with school work.


29. He was engaged once before he met my mom.


30. When he was at Lipscomb, the social club he was a part of got disbanned and had to remain banned for ten years....to make sure the members were all gone!


31. He is the hardest worker of anyone I have ever met.


32. He doesn't chew gum.


33. We have been able to find nothing that he dislikes enough not to eat.


34. He has a special place in his heart for prison ministry.


35. He shared and still shares that love of prison ministry with Louise.


36. He lives on his cell phone. He shares that love with Leigh and PaPa!


37. He can go on very little sleep.


38. He gets knocked down once a year, every year for as long as I can remember, with a stomach virus. Besides for that, I can hardly ever remember him getting sick.


39. He loves the people of the Philippines.


40. He loves to fish but I've never heard of him hunting.


41. He met my mom while she was visiting family in Jacksonville and he was the youth minister where his uncle attended.

42. He has two sisters, Ginny Holton and Karen Sloan. They come with two brothers in law, Kenny Holton and Ervin Sloan, respectively.

43. He also inherited a sister in law, Beth Giselbach and two brother in laws, Ted and Tom Garner when he married mom. Since then he has gained another brother in law and two more sister in laws, Brian Giselbach, Patty Garner, and Peggy Garner.

44. He has 18 nieces and nephews.

45. He loves Hootie and the Blowfish.

46. He can't play any musical instruments.

47. He can't sing either but (and I absolutely LOVE this about him!) that has never stopped him from getting up and leading singing in a church service.

48. He loves to mix different kinds of cereal.

49. He has a facebook and a myspace account.

50. He loves watch how to shows on the Discovery Channel and historical based shows on the History Channel.

51. He now blogs!!!

52. He was absolutely amazing when Momma had a massive stroke just before their 25th anniversary.

53. He has never met a stranger. Ever.


These are just some "things" that when you put them all together make the most amazing man and one who has been my best friend through my entire life. Me, Leigh, and Louise are so blessed to have him for a dad and, if you have ever met him, you are lucky to have him in your life.


Happy (VERY LATE!) birthday, Daddy!!!!! ILY