Barbara D. Walker

Barbara Anne Dobbins Walker, 84, passed away peacefully on August 15, 2025, at Piedmont Medical Center in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, August 23, 2025 from 10:00-11:00 am at Greene Funeral Home Northwest Chapel, 2133 Ebenezer Road, Rock Hill, SC 29732. A Celebration of Life will follow at 11:00 in the Chapel with burial in Grandview Memorial Park, 620 S. Cherry Road, Rock Hill, SC 29732.

Barbara was born on January 29, 1941, in Leslie, SC., one of five children born within five and a half years. As a child, her family moved often, eventually settling in Rock Hill. Her family never had much, but she and her siblings never lacked for anything, thanks to the tireless work of their father. Their mother worked a demanding swing-shift job, so the responsibility of the household fell to Barbara and her older sister Sylvia.

That strong work ethic would define her life. In 1957, at age 16, Barbara was in the 11th grade when Carl John Walker III, also a junior, asked her on a date. A year later, on May 2, 1958, at age 17, Barbara became Barbara Dobbins Walker. Together, they welcomed four sons: Carl John Walker IV in February 1960; Mark Stephen Walker in February 1964; Timothy Paul Walker in October 1965; and David Alan Walker in July 1967. In August 1968, with four small boys in the back of a Plymouth sedan (no seatbelts!), and a U-Haul trailer in tow, the family moved 1,500 miles west to Colorado then eventually moved back to Rock Hill, S.C. where she then spent over 40 years working for the family business.

As a mother, Barbara was a kind and good-hearted woman. She instilled a strong work ethic in her children by example, and her calm composure defined her. She never seemed to lose her patience, even when her boys had their share of misadventures—from a son caught stealing at a Kmart (making him a promise not to tell dad), to another with a tendency toward arson. She handled every moment with grace, never letting her concern show.

Though her generation wasn’t big on hugs, her children always knew they were loved. Nothing ever seemed to rattle her, and her unwavering strength was a gift she passed on to her family.

To her grandchildren, she was invested in their lives, no matter how close or far away they were. Her support came with honesty and love, always without judgment. She found a way to be funny without trying, allowing anyone a chance to share a laugh with her.

Barbara is survived by her loving husband, Carl John Walker III, and her four sons: Carl and his wife, Stacy (née Bridges); Mark and his wife, Rachel (née Long); Timothy and his wife, Carrie (née Hines); and David and his wife, Samantha (née Grainger); 12 grandchildren, Amanda, Alan, Brian, Nathan, Andrew, Daniel, Brandon, Ivy, Charlotte, Jacob, Julia, Magnolia; and ten great-grandchildren, Addie, Zooey, Zeb, Scarlet, Everett, Adelyn, Leon, Mason, Elliott, and Evelyn. She is also survived by her brother, Donald Lee Dobbins, and Carolyn (née Hay) of Brentwood, Tennessee. Barbara was proceeded in death by her sister, Sylvia Dobbins Boyd Garrison, her brothers, James Everett Dobbins and Norris Wayne Dobbins as well as her niece, Barbie Burns.

Barbara loved color as we all know. So in her honor, we want you all to dress comfortably, and in color, if you wish to do so.

We will celebrate her life with color as we mourn her death. You may dress as you wish, business casual (with color), or traditional black.