Jeri Celeste "Jill" Walker
06/02/1959 - 09/05/2021
Funeral service will be held 1:00 p.m. EST, Saturday, September 11, 2021 in the C.T. Chapel of Taylor Funeral Home with Pastor Noble D. Williams, officiating, Min. Zelinda George, eulogist. Visitation will be Friday, September 10, 2021 from 2-5 p.m. EST.
Love: What better word to describe our Jeri Celeste Walker (more commonly known as “Jill”), who at all times genuinely demonstrated God’s love to everyone she met. Born June 2, 1959, to the union of the late Willie Walker and the late Maurine Menefee Walker, in Columbus Georgia, a place deep in the bible belt, but not always a place known for seeing God’s love. Nevertheless, it was precisely the place chosen by God for this special child to begin her life’s journey that would, from beginning to end, leave an indelible mark in the lives of her family and everyone she met.
Jill was the youngest of three girls born in this close-knit family. Her sister, Mauretta Jan Walker Berry pre-deceased her and her sister, Ruth Kathryn Walker Ford would later become her sole caregiver. By every account, life in this family home was changed forever by the addition of this special child, described as a “gift from heaven.” Jill became the center of attraction in the family, and they spoiled her and gave her the attention she so loved, needed and desired.
Jill loved everybody and always portrayed that love to everyone she met. With such gentleness in her personality, she would always win over and make friends, even with those who did not understand or accept her challenges. She never like discord; she always loved peace. This anointed woman of God was a vessel used by God to show forth His character, His nature and His personality, which is love.
Jill learned about the Lord and church activities early in life from growth with her family in the Baptist church. She accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior and was baptized at age 12 under the auspices of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Phenix City, Alabama. She attended faithfully and served in capacity as an usher. Later, she attended Sunday School classes designed especially for “gifted” children such as herself at Hilton Terrace Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia, and was affiliated with that church for several years.
Church and church activities were the norm in Jill’s life. She attended church functions regularly with her mother and her mother’s twin sister (Mrs. Jeroline Hill), including the East Alabama Singing Conventions and the Alabama Baptist Conventions. The three of them became affectionately known as the Three Musketeers, because when you saw one of them at church, you saw all of them. Jill would always be the one carrying the bible and books and speaking to and hugging everyone as they entered the church. Another interesting note about this trio, they never sat in the back of the church; they always made their way to the front, no matter if the service had already begun.
Over the years, Jill grew in her love for the Lord and her love for life. She loved to socialize at parties and many times was the “life of the party.” She loved all types of music – Gospel, R&B, Rap, etc., and she loved to dance. She was one of the greatest dancers you would ever see. Even while having fun, she never forgot her love for the Lord. And, many times at different private functions, she would pray, speak in tongues and lift her hands in praise to the Lord. Despite challenges, Jill maintained devotion to God and to family. She was serious about the Lord and had the Spirit of God in her -- and it was genuine, not imitated.
Jill rests, having completed her labors in showing forth God’s love, God’s nature and God’s personality. She leaves an indelible mark in the lives of her family: sister, R. (Kathy) Walker Ford of Columbus, Ga.; nieces, Camille D. Ford Williams (Jerome), Daphne Berry Peterson (Randolph), Ashley Berry Linton (Bill) and Lisa Berry Mobley (Herm); great nephews, Brandon G.D Ingersoll and Nigel Harper; great nieces, Breonna Williams, Ashlynn and Aubreigh Linton; aunts, Mamie Menefee of Phenix City, Ala., and Emma Walker of Columbus, Ga.; uncle, Nathaniel H. Menefee of Phenix City, Ala.; a loving companion (Pepper); and a host of other relatives and friends. Special recognition is conveyed to the New Horizon organization for their support.
Love: She has lived her earthly life, allowing “the love of God to be shed abroad in her heart by the Holy Spirit” and therefore able to say with the Apostle Paul: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”