Josephine Cunningham-Walker

Josephine Cunningham Walker, affectionately known as “Mema” or “Jo”, was born on March 4, 1937 in Rocky Mount, Virginia. She was raised by her two loving parents, Ollie and Oliver Cunningham and was adored and admired by her siblings, three sisters: Lou Ray “Ray”, Verona “Ronnie” and Ann, and one brother, Richard.

In the 1938, her family left Virginia and relocated to Baltimore, Maryland. Josephine started her love for education in Baltimore. As such, Jo continued her education and received and graduated from Carver Vocational High School. While there, she developed a passion for healing and went on to receive her Bachelors degree from the College of Notre Dame in Nursing in 1983 where she focused her professional career in Psychiatric Nursing and School Health.

Jo married the love of her life, William Donald Walker, Sr., known as Bill, on March 23, 1956. In 1958, they had their first child and only son, William Donald Walker, Jr., and two daughters, Vickie and Karen Walker. They embraced family life and raised their three beautiful children on Hillenwood Road in Baltimore City. Jo and Bill were happily married for sixty years until Bill’s death January 31, 2016.

Josephine was born with a heart of gold. She was loved by so many people for her ability to demonstrate love and compassion, and her innate ability to “tell it how it is”. If you needed hard advice, Jo was the one to go to; she was like no other. She had a particular “fire” in her spirit that drew people to her. She was feisty and full of love all at the same time—a perfect blend. Family was her everything, and she never went without saying that. She placed loyalty to her family at the top of her list. Her sisters and brother, along with extended family, were her world and her legacy will remain based on the love she had for her family.

Jo was a rock for her family; indeed, she was known as the “glue” who held everyone together. To say that her siblings loved her would be an understatement; they adored her and loved her immeasurably. Being the oldest of three sisters and a brother, she was always everyone’s “go to” from siblings, to nieces and nephews, to cousins, grandchildren, and the list goes on and on.

On February 15, 2020, Josephine departed from this life after her ongoing battle of Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. She lived more than a full life; she lived a life engulfed with success, love, joy, and most importantly, laughter. Jo was a matriarch in her family and was a friend to those who needed a friend, and a mother to those who needed a mother. Throughout her life, she spread love, knowledge, and wisdom to those she knew and to others she met in passing. She was more than just a woman; she was a dynamic woman who embodied principals that every woman should embody. She’s was truly one of a kind.

Jo leaves behind to celebrate her vivacious life her children: William, Jr. (Sheryl), Vickie, and Karen (William Charles); her grandchildren: Rhonda, Donald, Robert, Tara, Danielle, Jazzman, Charles, Kelsey and Kaitlyn, as well as two great grandchildren Maliyah and Ricky. She also leaves her sisters: Ronnie and Ann (David, Sr), as well as a host of friends, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Her mother and father, Oliver and Ollie Cunningham, her sister Lou Ray Tabb, as well as brother Richard Cunningham, and her mother-in-law, Grace Walker Cooke, proceeded her in her death. Josephine Cunningham Walker, a beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, aunt, friend.

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