~ IN MEMORY ~
Military veteran, DL Capt. Walker Jeter
Hester
July 26, 1956 ~ March 24,
2016
Notification with the passing of Delta
pilot Captain Walker Jeter Hester, age 59. Death was due to an accident while
test flying his airplane. Captain Hester joined Delta Air Lines 08-21-1987 and
was currently based 031/ATL flying international routes.
To view/sign the online guestbook please
visit
or the funeral home website at http://www.memorialparkfuneralandcemetery.com/obituaries/Walker-Hester/
where you may also view family photos.
Services for Captain Hester will be
held April 1st at Riverside Chapel, Memorial Park, Memphis TN. There will also
be a celebration of life held in Atlanta, GA on April 2nd. Should we receive
more information we will be sure to update our memorial site.
Thank you,
~ Carol for the
PCN
Obituary................
Walker Jeter Hester, 59, a beloved
father, son, brother, Veteran Naval Aviator, and devout Christian, passed away
in an accident while test-flying his newest airplane. Born in New England but a
true son of the south, he graduated from Germantown High School in 1974. After
completing a degree in Journalism at the University of Memphis, he served in the
United States Navy as a Naval Aviator, call sign "Boxer." Following an honorable
discharge in 1987, he joined Delta Airlines as a First Officer, progressing
rapidly to Captain. Walker's greatest passions were his work in evangelical
prison ministries, cheering on the University of Tennessee Volunteers, and
traveling to Charleston, SC to spend time with his beloved daughter, Laine. A
daredevil at heart, Walker pursued adrenaline pumping adventures from
aerial-acrobatics, to motorcycle racing, to powered paragliding. Mourning his
loss are his daughter, Laine Hester, stepmother, Deborah Hester Harrison,
siblings, Sullivan Hester (Shea) and J Ross Hester, extended family, as well as
many friends from his worldly travels. We celebrate his life as he is welcomed
into the Kingdom of God and is joyously reunited with loved ones. The service
will be held on April 1 at Riverside Chapel at Memorial Park, Memphis, TN. There
will also be a celebration of life held in Atlanta, GA on April 2. In lieu of
flowers, please consider making a donation to the Wings of the Morning special
event fund at Bill Glass Behind the Walls.
.Published in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Mar. 29,
2016
--------------------------
--------------------------
Pilot identified in fatal Cheraw plane crash
Officials have now identified a pilot killed when his homebuilt aircraft crashed in a Chesterfield County swamp Thursday.
The county Coroner’s Office said 59-year-old Walker Jeter is an Atlanta, Ga., native who was the only person aboard the experimental Rocket II plane at the time. Chesterfield County Sheriff Jay Brooks told reporters that some nearby farmers saw the plane go down around 10:15 a.m. Thursday, but it required an aerial search to find the wreckage in the dense swamp of the Pee Dee River.
“With the help of a helicopter, some debris was found right on the Pee Dee in some of the thickest swamp in the county,” Brooks said during a press conference Thursday. “The plane was located a couple hours later.”
A team from the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are on-scene investigating the crash, but the sheriff warned it will be difficult to remove the wreckage from the swamp.
“The plane was upside-down and it took a while even after we reached the site to get the pilot out,” Brooks said.
An autopsy is scheduled for Jeter’s body Thursday morning.
I met Walker twenty some years ago through a bible study in Atlanta called 722 headed up by Loius Giglio. He had a great passion for the prison ministry at that time and a great passion for life. He will be missed by many including myself.
ReplyDeleteCapt Walker Hester and I flew recently to Amsterdam and Paris on a Delta work trip. Saw the Rembrandt Museum and The Museum de Orsay. A normal 24 hours in each city, we had to 'play-through' with no sleep upon reaching Paris, and we saw more in that day than most. I snapped the picture above showing Walker at the top of the dome in Sacre Coeur Cathedral. He commented on the amazing day and the incredible 360 degree view of Paris. It was a banner day for sure and an action packed 6-day trip total. Walker said he was dedicating the rest of his Delta layovers to seeing more and doing more than he had in the past...he wanted to spend the next 5 years of layovers making 15 years of memories. Little did we know that he had 5 months left in all. RIP Walker.
ReplyDeleteDelta F/O 'Otis' O'Dea