On New Year’s Day in 1912, Marguerite Walker was born, and as she took a look back on her life, she was glad to note she has never been bored.
“It was a cold, cold day back then,” Walker said of her first birthday.
Her initial home was in Decatur County, just south of New Point. It was in elementary school that she met her future husband, Owen Walker.
“I grew up with him,” she said. “But when we were in school, it was in the Depression.”
After school in 1932, Walker went to train at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis to become a nurse. She graduated in 1935, and went to private duty for two years. In 1937, Walker helped victims of the infamous flood in New Albany, as part of her duties with the Red Cross.
“The hospital set up Army trucks and took them up north,” she said.
In August of that year, Marguerite married Owen Walker, who at the time was enlisted in the Navy. The ceremony took place in Long Beach, Calif. Marguerite’s private nursing job took them there, and she stayed on the coast for 10 years.
“My husband got homesick so we came back,” she explained.
Wherever she was, Marguerite was able to find work that she enjoyed.
“I’ve always liked helping people,” Marguerite said.
Unfortunately, she had to resign from the Ripley County Red Cross board. But just last year, Marguerite worked at a fair in Osgood for the organization.
“The Red Cross had a run last year and I helped with that too,” she added. “I’ve always stayed in the field of nursing.”
Her official retirement occurred in 1977, when she left her occupation as a director of nursing at Margaret Mary Hospital. While director, Marguerite took care of her own staff. She also worked in the emergency room for almost 10 years, and said she always enjoyed her work.
Once retired, she stayed busy with several activities, including working in Versailles assisting locals in search of their family ancestry.
“This is the Crossroads of America,” she said. “People would come here and move on.”
She also took part in the Toastmasters organization in Batesville, where she learned to be a good listener and public speaker.
“They brought me out of my shell,” she said. “I just walked in, and of course right away I was a member.”
Marguerite also tells stories to older folks, and her role in the Toastmasters helped prepare her for that.
“The strongest muscle in your body is the tongue,” she said.
Though she spent 10 years only a few blocks from the Pacific Ocean, Marguerite is content where she is and how her life has played out.
“All of my life has been very interesting,” Marguerite quipped. “I’ve never been bored in my life.”
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