Josie Ella Walker was born to Oscar and Martha Walden Walker on June 19, 1928, in the town of Ellerbe (Mineral Springs Township) located in Richmond County, North Carolina.  She attended North Carolina public schools in Moore County, North Carolina.

She relocated to New Jersey, where she lived in Essex County for more than fifty years. She departed this life peacefully on the evening of Tuesday, July 28, 2020, at Alaris Health at Essex in Irvington, New Jersey, where she resided since 2009.

Though she was a dedicated, hardworking employee of companies including Ketcham & McDougall, Inc. and Revlon, it was in her season of retirement that Josie found true joy working with children.  She completed a childcare training course for seniors in 2001, and worked for the North Ward Child Development Center in Newark, New Jersey. In 2006, she joined the staff of Three Stages Child Care Center in East Orange, New Jersey.

Whether taking East or West Coast trips to visit friends and relatives,
especially for family reunions or more exotic getaways on cruises, Josie loved traveling. Perhaps her second favorite pastime was shopping at bargain outlets or area malls, especially Macy’s. She was probably never happier than when she added one more fine leather purse to her hefty collection.

Josie carried the true distinction as “baby sister.” From her dad’s first union to Elizabeth came siblings—Hal, Tom, Benjamin, Claudia, Katie, Connie, and Lula. As a widower, he later married Martha, from which came four more brothers—Melvin, Samuel, L.J. (“Jimmy”), and John (“Bill”) and two sisters Sarah and Martha (“Bonnie”).  Left to cherish her memories are a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

A Private Service was held August 6, 2020, at Simon Funeral Home Chapel in Southern Pines, North Carolina, and burial followed in the New Zion Cemetery in Robbins, North Carolina.