John M. Walker, 83, of The Woodlands, TX, died January 10, 2011, surrounded by his family. Born January 30, 1927, in San Saba County, Texas, John was the son of Maud and Arthur Walker, the youngest of 5 children. He graduated from Texas A&M University, Class of 1949, with a degree in Agricultural Administration. On May 7, 1954, he married Nancy Carolyn Landers of Lampasas, TX, who survives.

John served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War as a cryptographer and after his discharge, he and Nancy moved to Wahoo, Nebraska, where he was employed by K. T. Martin and Company, a Managing General Agency out of Dallas, Texas that insured growing crops all over the nation. He was transferred to Raleigh, North Carolina in 1956. In 1968, John was hired to help Old Republic Companies, a credit life company out of Chicago, begin providing crop insurance to the Production Credit Associations within the United States along with the Royal Bank of Canada. John and Nancy were transferred by Old Republic Companies to Denton, Texas. In 1985, John elected to take early retirement as vice-president of the Farm Credit Division of Old Republic Companies and go into business with his own Managing General Agency called Walker Crop Insurance, Inc. At this point, they moved to Canyon, Texas and set up an office in Amarillo. At age 70, John sold his interest to the major stockholders of Walker Crop Insurance, Inc. and the company is now known as ProAg, one of the fastest growing crop insurance companies in the industry. They retired to The Woodlands to be closer to their children in 2000.

Raised in the First Methodist Church of San Saba, John became a 32

In addition to his wife Nancy of 56 years, he is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Virgil Mitchell of Denton, Texas; son and daughter-in-law, John and Janice Walker of Houston, Texas; son Kyle Walker of Bryan, Texas; 4 grandchildren; and 2 great-grandsons.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, January 16, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at The Woodlands (Texas) Community Presbyterian Church with Rev. David Jones and Rev. Charles Hendricks, officiating. A graveside service will take place in Lampasas, Texas officiated by Rev. Carol Clarke, pastor of the Lampasas Presbyterian Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research or to your favorite charity.

nd Degree Scottish Rite Mason as well as a deacon and ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church.