Jaunita Cole Walker, 96, of Clinton, Missouri passed away September 11, 2011 at her daughter’s home in Harrisonville, Missouri.
Jaunita was born on June 26, 1915 near Osceola, Missouri, the daughter of Burlie Sheldon Cole and Lena Viola Carter Cole. She graduated from Lowry City High School, passed the teacher’s exam and taught in rural schools for five years, attending Central Missouri State Teachers College in Warrensburg, Missouri, during the summers.
Jaunita professed her faith in Jesus at an early age and was a strong spiritual influence on her family and friends in the High Hill Baptist Church and most recently in the Northeast Baptist Church in Clinton, Missouri.
On July 28, 1939 she married Leo Walker, a high school classmate and they moved to the Walker family farm in Horseshoe Bend to begin their married life. To this union two daughters, Marilyn Kay and Roma June were born. Jaunita was a loving wife and mother and a hard working farm wife. She was involved in 4-H as a leader. She was an accomplished seamstress, a Sunday School teacher and work in taking the farm census one year.
When the Kaysinger (Truman) Dam project took the farm in Horseshoe Bend, Jaunita and Leo moved to a farm between Lowry City and Appleton City until Leo’s health failed and they retired to Clinton, Missouri where she was known for her beautiful garden. Jaunita was a nurse, caretaker and devoted companion to Leo until his death in 2002. To her daughters, dranddaughter, grandson and wife, great-grandson, nieces, and nephews, she was the matriarch of the family and a source of wisdom and strength. With the help of her daughters, Jaunita was able to continue to live in Clinton until health concerns forced her to move to Marilyn Kay’s home in Harrisonville for the past few years.
Jaunita was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Leo Walker; four brothers, Ray Everett, Paul and Roy Cole; and one sister, Idaleen Walters. She is survived by her daughters, Marilyn Kay Walker, Harrisonville, Missouri, and Roma Deakin (Peter) Bainbridge, Georgia; two grandchildren, Sara Bass, Bainbridge, Georgia and Brendan Bass (Stephanie), Florence, Missouri; one great-grandson, Cole Bass, Florence, Missouri; one brother, Merle Cole(Anne), Billings, Montana; 21 nieces and nephews; and many friends
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