August "Gus" Edward Walker

August Edward (Gus) Walker was born in Saginaw, Michigan on July 31, 1927 and died in Petoskey on February 7, 2018.  Gus, the youngest son of Tom and Helen Walker’s six children, was raised along the Saginaw River.  He entered the army in 1945, serving mostly in the Far East. 

 Gus married Rose Shannon in 1952 and they had three sons.  After working for many years around Saginaw, he moved to Newberry in the late 1950s to run a beer and fuel business.  Over the years he ran a business making laminated parts for furniture in Newberry, a wood products business in Seney, a custom sawmill in Newberry, and for most of the last years of his life he raised cattle.

Gus and his second wife Louise, the love of his life, married in 1969, and Gus inherited another son and two daughters.  Gus and Louise were very interested in Alaska and read everything they could find about the state.  Gus spent one summer in Alaska, driving the Alcan Highway in a Ford station wagon.  In the late 1980s Gus and Louise began making visits to Alaska, flying to Anchorage and renting a motorhome to tour the state, and once taking the Alaska Marine Highway from Seattle to Juneau.  Gus and Louise repeated his trip up the Alcan highway in a motorhome in 1999. 

Gus and Louise were very active in affairs at the Newberry logging museum, numerous fundraisers, and other community events, including the goofy floats the family concocted for 4th of July parades in Newberry. Gus was a township supervisor, and active on agricultural committees. 

Gus enjoyed hunting fishing, and camping.  For many years the family camped and fished along the shore of Lake Superior near the Big Two Hearted River, and Gus hunted moose in Canada, elk, deer, and pronghorn in Wyoming, and fished for salmon and halibut in Alaska.  During one of the trips to Wyoming his business in Seney burned down and during another his house burnt down.  When Gus needed a house, he used local wood, when he needed a barn, he did the same.  When he had a setback, he just picked himself up and pushed on.  He and Louise were always helping someone, so when he rebuilt - a log house – he had lots of help from folks returning past favors.  Lots of friends of their kids and other neighborhood kids hung around learning about raising cattle and pigs, sawing wood, building, using tools, picking berries, fishing, hunting, and trapping.

He was an avid berry picker, picking strawberries every year, and unless it was a dismal year, always knew where to find blueberries.  During Louise’s last few years Gus also proved to be an excellent care-giver.

Gus was preceded in death by brothers Morley, Milo, and Tom, and his sisters Lorraine and Ethel, his wife Louise, son Foster, and grandson, Michael.  He is survived by sons Ed, Tim, and Jerry Walker, daughters Linda(Findlay) Harju, Debra(Findlay) Rousseau, daughters-in-law Judy Krzeszewski and Linda Walker, grandchildren John Harju, Chrissy(Findlay) Bean, Foster Findlay III, Dennis, Eddie, and Brian Walker, Kindra(Silk) Kreislers, and numerous great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

Services will be held at United Methodist Church, 110 West Harrie St., Newberry, MI, 49868 on February 24, 2018.  Family will be present at 10 AM for visitation, with the service at 11 AM.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Tahquamenon Logging Museum in Newberry in memory of Gus and Louise Walker.

 Gus and Louise’s ashes will be scattered at Lake Superior this summer at a family gathering.

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