Glenn Perrin Walker's Obituary
Glenn Perrin Walker, known always as Perrin, was born in Rigby, Idaho on September 24, 1939, the third of five sons born to Allen Holmes and Margaret Lora Taylor Walker and passed away on Tuesday afternoon, October 17, 2023. He lived the first four years of his life in Menan, ID, then in Idaho Falls, ID, eventually living in Utah, France, Belgium, Chicago, IL, and settling in Tacoma, Washington. He died of severe dementia, a disease he had been fighting for several years, and heart failure. His sweetheart of over 61 years, Charlotte, was his primary caregiver.
From the beginning, Perrin was an introspective boy who enjoyed reading, painting, sketching, and helping out around his home. He even remembers when he had electricity installed in his family’s small 2 bedroom house! His older brothers, Lynn and Dahl, used to pull Perrin right along with their games, schemes, and interesting stories. He never really liked sports but as a teenager, was quite a fabulous ballroom dancer. His younger brothers, Kay and Gene, enjoyed Perrin’s quick wit and their amusing times together. As a young boy, he discovered the short story French author, Guy de Maupassant, and was intrigued with his 19th century imagery, leading him later to study and speak near-native French. Perrin also discovered his usefulness with home renovating projects when he decided, on his own, at age 12, that HE would finish the remodeling of the family home since it had still been in chaos for years. He studied, designed, and created the finished project. Later, as an adult, he built a gazebo with his sons, a wrap-around deck on his house, also with his sons and son-in-law, a deck for his older brother, and put together many play sets as well as some interior remodel projects.
Due to his love of painting and sketching, he tried to have a small pad or piece of paper available wherever he was. As a teenager in the 50s, he started to study and appreciate modernism in art. He did political cartoons for his junior high and high school papers. Perrin was also quite adept at sign-making which he did for local businesses and school campaigns. At school, he led several art clubs and encouraged other students to participate. Unfortunately, since he was a small, thin boy, he was often teased or bullied, but he found that humor would distract the bully or bullies, probably because they weren’t smart enough to get the punchline so they would laugh and leave him alone. He used that quick wit to find interesting puns and tell enriching stories to enhance any conversation. That intelligence led to an interest in debate in high school. He and his friend, Terry Crapo, went on to win many debates in high school and then, at Brigham Young University. Perrin also worked on his dance skills since he knew that women liked to dance, so he learned ballroom and swing dance. He was quite good! Albeit a shy young man, his older brother, Dahl, forced him on dates by asking him about a particular young woman, then, dialing her number. Dahl would shove the phone in Perrin’s face, forcing him to stammer through an introduction and invitation. After a while, Perrin tried to avoid this pure anxiety by having a dance partner or date already set up before Dahl could dial those numbers.
Perrin always found work to be an interesting and even, “fun,” experience. He enjoyed selling clothing at a men's clothing store in Idaho Falls and painting homes in the summer. He would start early each summer morning, meticulously taping, then painting the exterior of a neighbor’s home. At first, he charged slightly more than other independent contractors but it
didn’t take long for neighbors to see how his efficient, yet clean lines were far above the rest and he would be booked. He was careful with his money as he knew that it was all he would have to afford new clothing, shoes, or school books, and especially, new art supplies. Perrin excelled in any and every subject he took. As he approached high school graduation, he wanted to go to college but knew it would be a financial impossibility for his family. One of his friends’ dads happened to be a school counselor and asked him what his plans were after graduation. He mentioned he wanted to go to Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, three hours away, but didn’t have enough for tuition and housing. This counselor looked at his grades, helped him apply for a scholarship, and then, Perrin earned a way in!
The summer after Perrin graduated from high school, in 1957, he participated in a summer musical and was partnered with Charlotte Johnson, a dancer herself. They began dating shortly afterwards. Perrin went off to BYU and Charlotte started back at Idaho Falls High. During his first two years of university studies, Perrin continued to lead the debate club, study French, and paint. He was worried that he would not be able to serve a mission as his older brother, Dahl, was already in Japan serving one which was a financial sacrifice for their family. Despite that concern, Perrin was called to the French mission to serve for 2 ½ years for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He spent one week at the “mission home” in Salt Lake City, then flew off to Paris. Charlotte and he agreed to write each week and they did! If he mailed a letter on Monday, she could receive it and reply before the end of that same week. He began his mission in the coastal town of La Rochelle and served all over northern France, Belgium, and eighteen months in Paris. His college French proved to be paramount to his communication and connection to the French and Belgian people. While in Paris, he became the editor for the French version of the Church magazines, L’Etoile, or the Star. At times, his mission president wouldn’t be available to use their opera tickets, so he would give them to Elder Walker and one of the other missionaries serving in the mission office. What a gift! A young man from small town Idaho watching the opera in Paris?
Perrin’s quick mind and excellent memory helped him to recall scriptures and teach with faith as he spoke of God’s love for each person. He met people who were still traumatized by the war and needed hope. Through his love for them, they felt God’s love. His French experience never left him. Even after he returned to college, law school, raising children, establishing his career, he remained close to his French language abilities and culture.
When he returned in 1962, he was determined to “seal the deal” and asked Charlotte to marry him. She had always known she would marry the smartest guy and she did! Charlotte transferred from Utah State to BYU since she knew Perrin wouldn’t switch schools and they married on August 31, 1962. In order to graduate with Charlotte, Perrin took more than a full load and both finished their bachelor degrees in June 1963, Charlotte with an early childhood education degree and Perrin having changed his major from art to political science with an added French teaching minor where he was a teaching assistant. During that last year, he was also a research assistant to the university president, Ernest Wilkinson. He loved the projects he was given, usually doing research for whatever President Wilkinson needed. Perrin applied for law school and was accepted to many top tier programs. He and Charlotte selected the University of Chicago when they gave him a larger stipend than Harvard.
A few weeks after they walked in their graduations, Charlotte delivered twin boys! They thought there may be two babies but without ultrasound technology, they weren’t certain. E.
Allen and Perrin H. Walker explosively came into this world. Two short months later, Perrin started his first year of law school. Law school was brutal: in class all day, studying late into the night while barely making ends meet for their little family. Charlotte would break up the monotony of each day with walks in a large pram and the neighborhood loved seeing these sweet identical twins. Perrin worked as a research assistant for a NASA study, “Air & Space Law,” in 1964-66 with the American Bar Foundation also while at U of C. Between his 2nd and 3rd years, Perrin and Charlotte spent the summer in NYC where Perrin clerked at Chadbourne, Parke, Whitesides & Wolff. They loved going to the museums, playing at the neighborhood parks, and even took their little toddlers to the World’s Fair!
After graduation, Perrin was hired by the Weyerhaeuser Company so the four of them moved back to the west, residing in Tacoma, Washington where he was a part of their in-house counsel from 1966-1969. They fell in love with the Mountain, the green spaces, and dealt with the rain. They added Aric I. in 1967, the same year that Perrin was called to be the bishop of the Tacoma 1st ward. He and Charlotte enjoyed serving their fellow church members in the downtown Tacoma area. They continued visiting some of the widows from that ward decades later with their annual Christmas caroling. Perrin also used his legal skills to benefit his community, becoming the founding trustee and officer for the Tacoma-Pierce County Legal Assistance Foundation in 1968 as well as serving as pro bono legal counsel for the Black Businessmen’s Association of Tacoma from 1968-1973. After three years at Weyerhaeuser, Perrin turned to private practice and joined Conrad, Kane & Vandeberg in Tacoma from 1969-1971. Church-wise, he spent most of the 70s as the Tacoma Stake’s Executive Secretary, enjoying his associations with other church leaders in the Tacoma/Gig Harbor/Lakewood areas.
Their first daughter, Margaret, was born in February 1970 but only lived for 10 hours. They were heartbroken. A few months later, their close friends, the Huishes, suggested they knew of a baby that needed an adoptive family. They didn’t think they would have a chance with already having three sons. Their fourth son, Brett C. was born in June 1970; Perrin and Charlotte brought him home from the hospital. He helped them heal from the tragedy of losing their sweet daughter. The four boys loved to mess around and even though Brett was younger and smaller, it didn’t take long for him to catch up to the others! They loved their townhouse on G Street and Perrin kept remodeling it for more space with their growing family.
The firm added his name, becoming Kane, Vandeberg, Hartinger & Walker, from 1971-1990 where he was the managing partner from 1977-1985. After the trauma of losing Margaret, they were warned Charlotte might not be able to have more children but Susan was born early in May 1974. Perrin was finally permitted to be in the room for her birth! With four older brothers to watch out for little Susan, it was a wonder she ever learned how to walk! In December 1976, Perrin and Charlotte moved to University Place to a larger house for their growing family. That next spring, in May 1977, Charlotte-Anne was born. Charlotte wanted her to be named Anne but Perrin wanted her to have Charlotte so they compromised with a hyphen in the middle. She was affectionately called C-A.
The family loved eating dinner together each night, having your favorite dinner for your birthday, and getting spoiled at Christmas. It was not a quiet household! Perrin told great stories and listened intently to each child’s news. A year after C-A was born, Perrin was called as Stake President of the Tacoma Stake and helped in preparing for the Seattle temple dedication in 1980. He tried to balance his family, church, and professional responsibilities. It wasn’t easy but
Charlotte was the support that made things work. She was also a busy mother of 7 when they added Michael J. in June 1980, adding one more to the mix for a total of 8! Michael had tons of dark hair and was doted on by his sisters.
The twins went off to BYU and then were called to serve missions in Brazil. Eighteen months later, Perrin and Charlotte went to Brazil with a side trip to Peru to pick them up. It was a trip of a lifetime! A few years later, just as Aric was about to graduate from high school, in 1985, Perrin and Charlotte were interviewed by President Gordon B. Hinckley, and then called to serve as mission leaders over the Belgium Brussels Mission from 1985-1988. Perrin was granted a leave of absence from his firm and the day after Michael turned 5 years old, the family moved to Brussels. Allen & Perrin stayed in the States to finish their bachelor’s degrees and Aric, younger than all the other missionaries, was called to serve under his parents in the same mission. Perrin ignited the young missionaries with faith and power, helping them to believe that they could find people to teach. He encouraged them and talked to each one, at least once a month, driving over 100,000 kms each year between Brussels to Lille, the Pas-de-Calais area all the way to Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Nancy, and Metz, even Mulhouse close to the Swiss border. Charlotte came with him as much as she could. With Perrin’s leave of absence and focus on missionary work full-time, he was able to mold his own schedule. This allowed him, surprisingly, to spend more time with his children at home. They went to every castle they could find though their favorite one was Haut Kœnigsbourg, just outside of Strasbourg. If there was a road trip, you knew that Perrin would get an ice cream at some point! He also developed his classic yogurt while in Europe. He used to “make” it in the States but since the yogurt in Belgium was so much better, he perfected it there. It was simple: vanilla or plain yogurt, add fruit, and cookies. He used to joke that whatever you didn’t eat the night before would be dragged into the yogurt the next day but that was always an empty threat. And don’t forget the cheese! Having a bit of cheese throughout the day was a treasured part of French culture that Perrin continued.
Perrin and Charlotte worked with over 450 young men and women over a three year period. They saw them each as a child of their own and cared deeply about their lives, struggles, triumphs, and futures. It was a blessing for them to teach the gospel alongside these energetic, fun youth! Perrin was often so tired that whoever was in the car with him would worry he would fall asleep while driving. However, he was not weary in well-doing, he continued to teach, love, and encourage.
In 1988, Perrin returned to private practice in Tacoma. He also continued to serve in a variety of missionary capacities as a mission leader, stake missionary, mission counselor. The next year, their son, Brett, served a mission to another French-speaking country, Tahiti. Piggy-backing on their own mission experience and that of their older three sons, they cherished each letter and enjoyed learning about Tahitian culture and language.
During the nineties, Perrin did many professional presentations on ethics and attorney professional standards. He continued working on committees in the greater Pierce County area including as a pro bono attorney for both the committee to incorporate University Place and the Pacific Harbors Council in the Boy Scouts of America. He worked as a mediator in Federal Court & an arbitrator for the Pierce County Superior Court. Until his retirement a few years ago, he still loved preparing a brief, working with his colleagues on a case, and helping businesses to thrive.
The grandchildren started coming in the early nineties which was a joy that he and Charlotte both thought should have happened first! Kjersten, P.J., Brittany, Jordan, Parker, and Zack joined the family in the nineties. Thankfully, they spent a lot of time with these little ones, playing, laughing, and of course, Grandpa would sing in French to them.
In 2000, Sillas and Julia were added to the grandchildren crew. The next year, they proved to be the soothing balm when Charlotte-Anne was suddenly and tragically killed in a car accident. They relied completely on their faith and felt the Savior’s love for her and them. It was a difficult year.
Just months before C-A died, Perrin was called to be an Area Seventy in which he served for nine years, having been asked to extend several times. He continued to work full time but would be gone three to four weekends a month, helping train, teach, and encourage congregations across the entire West coast. Charlotte would occasionally accompany him. They enjoyed visiting Alaska, Oregon, Washington, and California and worshiping with the saints there. Perrin served with Church leaders in every position.
In early 2010, another devastating tragic event: their son, Brett, was killed in a motorcycle accident. Perrin and Charlotte, again, buried one of their children. Their only comfort continued to be in their belief in God, knowing they would see their deceased children again.
Harrison, Nathan, Zack’s sisters, Anabelle and Brynlee, Xander and Austin completed the grandchildren crew. Perrin and Charlotte tried to spend time with each grandchild. They made a point of listening to their stories, watching them at their events, or just being with them. Each grandchild will tell you that THEY are the favorite grandchild.
Of all the things Perrin has said over the years, he always emphasized his love and devotion to the Savior, Jesus Christ, and to Charlotte. The older he got, he would mention often how much he appreciated her and how grateful he was that he had married her. Even as dementia made it harder to remember many details, he never forgot Charlotte. The real testament of Perrin Walker is his long lasting faith in God, his love of all people, and his smile. He even kept saying, “Peace,” or doing the peace sign when someone would leave after a visit with him.
Perrin is preceded in death by three children, Margaret, Charlotte-Anne, and Brett, who we hope greeted him with open arms. He is also preceded by his loving parents and three brothers, Dahl, Lynn, and Gene. He is survived by his eternal sweetheart, Charlotte, his children, Allen (Stephanie), Perrin, Aric (Lora), Susan (Chad), Michael, his grandchildren, and brother, Kay (Angela), sister-in-law, Peggy (Mike), and brother-in-law, Jim (Kathy). He has many loving nephews and nieces and their families. He is also survived by his hundreds of bonus children, the missionaries he served with in the Belgium Brussels mission.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice. Perrin worked with many charities from the Boy Scouts to legal assistance to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to local Pierce County agencies. He always tried to combat suffering.
His funeral services will be Friday, November 3, 2023 at the Lakewood Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 10018 Farwest Dr SW, Lakewood, WA 98498, starting with a family reception from 10am-12noon. The funeral will commence at 12:30pm with a brief graveside ceremony at 3:30pm at Mountain View Cemetery, located at 4100 Steilacoom Blvd SW, Lakewood, WA 98498. The family thanks all who have sent words of comfort and memories of Perrin. Until we meet again, Dad.
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