In Memory of Lisa Walker
A life should not be measured by the span of its years, but rather by the volume of those whom it touched and enriched. The story of Lisa’s life cannot be told in a brief summary such as this because, as Tim Bray observed at her memorial, she was so many different things to so many different people, and she touched and enriched all who met her. She was a teacher, a protector of the environment, a nurse to injured animals, a friend to those less fortunate, a loving daughter who moved back home to care for her ailing mother, a volunteer at her church, an accomplished artist, a gifted photographer, a loving mother who was proud of her children, an astute observer of birds, and the owner of the keenest set of ears I have ever had the pleasure to know.
Lisa was born in Lompoc, California, where her father served at Vandenberg Air Force Base. She became interested in art and nature, especially birds, at a very early age. Her love of art and nature was the foundation of her life’s work as a successful artist, graphics designer, and professional photographer.
When Lisa came to the Mendocino coast forty-one years ago, she immediately began to touch the lives of many people in our coastal community. She worked as a caregiver for In-Home Support Services, helping the sick and disabled in any way she could. She always cared for the less fortunate and was a regular volunteer at the First Baptist Church’s Friday Feast soup kitchen. Despite whatever pains her body imposed on her, Lisa was always ready to help others.
She worked for many years with Critter Care Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation to save the lives of injured or orphaned birds and mammals. One day, Lisa received a fatally injured opossum. As the donor watched, Lisa reached into the dying possum’s pouch and pulled out several hidden babies, which she then nursed to health.
Arthritis in her hands began to make her artwork more difficult, so she took up photography. She not only excelled at this art form, but generously shared her work with others. She said,”I love this form of self-expression, art, whatever the heck you call it. It gets me out there, it brings me into closer contact with Creation and by doing so, the Creator. I pray this shows in my work, but you know what? My hope is truly that someone out there is touched in some way by the way I see things.”
Those of us in the birding fellowship knew Lisa as a serious and talented birder. She had a keen eye for the subtle differences that called attention to hybrids, subspecies, and unusual plumages. Like her friend Toby (Dorothy Tobkin), whom Lisa met shortly after coming to the coast, she was out in the field early each day, reporting in real time what she had observed. Lisa had an incredible sense of hearing, which could be wonderful or frustrating to those with her, for she would call out birds that none of us could hear no matter how hard we listened. She was the envy of all the boys. During Covid she spent hours listening to tapes of bird songs and calls until she had pretty much mastered the vocalizations of all the local species. Her knowledge was impressive, and she used those skills to help others become better birders.
So you see, the breadth and depth of Lisa’s life was far greater than the mere sixty-four years she walked this earth. And I have shared just a brief glimpse. A complete examination of her life would make an interesting biography. Lisa will long be greatly missed by all whom she touched and enriched. It was a pleasure to know her, even if for so brief a time. May she rest in peace.
Note: Parts of this homage were taken from an earlier obituary as well as from conversations with her close friends and daughter Davina. Many of Lisa’s photographs can still be seen on her Flickr account at: flickr.com/photos/feather_forestwalker.
