Dr. William Wade Walker III, 87: OB/GYN practiced the “art of medicine”

To many of his patients, Bill Walker was more than a doctor.

Jacqueline Irwin Walker of Decatur said that her husband “practiced the art as well as the science of medicine,” and that he understood the importance of a good bedside manner. “He knew what to say, when to say it and how to say it,” she said.

An OB/GYN for 35 years, Walker delivered the babies of women that he’d delivered. “They would introduce their children to him as if he was a part of the family,” his wife said.

William Wade Walker III of Decatur died Jan. 26 from a ruptured aneurysm. He was 87. A gathering is planned for 3 to 6 p.m. Feb. 2 at A.S. Turner & Sons in Decatur.

Although Bill Walker’s family endured some financial hardships and moved frequently, he excelled in both academics and athletics, always at the top of his class while starring in football, baseball, track and rifle. He earned a scholarship to Marist School, where he graduated valedictorian of his class, and a football scholarship to Tulane University, where he studied medicine before being drafted into World War II.

During his military service, Walker remained steadfast in his pursuit to become a doctor. “He said they tried to get him to become an engineer, but he convinced them that his calling was to be a doctor,” said his son, Wayne Walker of Norcross.

Walker graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Emory University School of Medicine with honors, and completed his OB/GYN residency at Georgia Baptist Hospital (now Atlanta Medical Center).

Walker had four sons by his first marriage and the youngest, Norman Edward Walker, died in 2011.

Walker married Jacqueline Irwin in 1978. She was a psychotherapist Walker met while he was volunteering at a psychiatric hospital.

“He liked telling the story of how they met in a psychiatric hospital,” said long-time friend Judy Ryland of Atlanta, who also introduced the couple. “I guess I was Cupid,” she said.

Wayne Walker said his father loved delivering babies because of its happy experiences. “He called it the happy medicine,” he said.

Ryland said Walker chose to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology because he “truly valued and respected women.”