WAYNE WALKER
January 7, 1942 - October 19, 2008
It is with great sadness that we announce
the passing of Wayne Walker on Sunday,
October 19, 2008 at the age of 66 years.
Remaining to forever cherish Wayne’s
memory are his wife Elaine of 43 years of
marriage; daughter Melody and son-in-law
Brad; two wonderful grandsons Kyle and
Kristopher; son Christopher McKellar;
mother Nellie Yosyk; sisters Brenda and
June; as well as cousins, relatives and
many, many friends. He was predeceased by
his brother Peter Yosyk in 2007.
Wayne Walker made his mark in 1954 as “Mr.
Rock N’ Roll” and hadn’t stopped since.
Starting out playing school dances and
teen hops, Wayne survived all the musical
trends over the years from the 60’s
British Invasion, 70’s Disco craze, New
Wave 80’s, Hip Hop 90’s and the New
Millennium.
1963 was the year when the Wayne Walker
band started playing hotels and clubs.
This eventually opened the door for other
local bands, as hotels were introduced to
LIVE music in their rooms, which soon
became the demands of the patrons. Through
the sixties and seventies, Wayne worked at
many Rock N’ Roll revival tours. Playing
with the likes of Buddy Knox, Ronnie
Hawkins and Johnny Rovers, not only
establishing Wayne’s credibility on an
international level, it created a
friendship among Rock N’ Roll pioneers.
When Wayne Walker hit the stage, it became
ALIVE with those good old 50’s and 60’s
sounds.
In June 1987 while performing “Shakin All
Over” (A Manitoba musicians reunion of the
past 30 years), it was very evident that
Wayne was heavily respected by his peers
as “Mr. Rock N’ Roll”.
A celebration of Wayne’s life will be held
on Thursday, October 30 at 8:00 p.m. at
the Pony Corral, 1700 Pembina Highway.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made
in Wayne’s memory to the charity of one’s
choice.
Wojcik's Funeral Chapel & Crematorium
1020 Main Street
As
published in Winnipeg Free Press on
October 23, 2008
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