A Tribute to My Friend Todd Walker (1962-2015)

     We’ve lost a friend. We’ve lost a brother. The passing of Todd Walker, whose battle with ALS ended on Tuesday May 19th, has left an emotional void in countless of lives along with an everlasting impression. Our hearts are hurting with Ms. Shirley, Shelia, Lauren, and Daniel.

     While Todd is remembered as an excellent song leader, several of us know where he developed that talent. If you’ve never had the privilege of worshiping with the Glendale church of Christ in Newbern, TN (Todd’s home congregation), you don’t know what really good singing is! And Todd’s gifts included more than singing. He was an outstanding student of God’s word and minister of the gospel, and heaven’s population will be significantly increased because of his short life on this earth. More than anything else, he was an exceptional Christian gentleman.

     After attending high school and college together, our lives took us in separate directions, but I’ve kept up with Todd over the years – marriage, kids, grad school, ministry, illness. I understand that his last sermon was aptly based on 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

     This may seem quite trivial in comparison, but my fondest memories of Todd center around football. We played together for Coach Ab Davis’ Dyer County Choctaws. Then at Freed-Hardeman University we were in different social clubs and played against each other in intramurals. But nothing rivals our no-pads-full-contact football games as teenagers in Todd’s front yard. Sometimes there were others who joined in, but mostly it was Todd, Tim Carter, Mike McCullough, and me.

     Our “field” was a strip of land of about 40 x 30 yards, with a driveway and a ditch as end zones and a road and a shed as sidelines. Sometimes Mr. Bobby Joe (Todd’s dad) would come out and cheer us on, and in our minds we were Lynn Swann, Joe Greene, Franco Harris, and Jack Lambert. At the risk of sounding boastful with slight exaggeration, the UT Vols really missed out by not having a talent scout in the area when we played some of these thrilling, knock-down-drag-0ut competitions. I don’t recall any broken bones or major concussions, but we had about as much fun as teenage boys could have.

     I don’t know if we’ll be allowed to play football in heaven, but seeing that “there shall be no more pain” (Rev. 21:4), maybe the Lord will let Todd and the rest of us use our new, glorious, incorruptible bodies (1 Cor. 15:42-44) to relive some happy memories.

Thank you Todd for your life. Looking forward to the reunion.

--Kevin L. Moore

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