Marilee’s
Story Marilee
was born in Burlington, Iowa, to Karl
Williams walker and Louise Moore Toup
Walker. When she was one year old, her
family, including her two-year-old brother,
Kennan, moved to California, ultimately
settling in Studio City in 1940, in the same
home from which she left this life.
At
North Hollywood High School, she was active
in student government, journalism and
cheerleading, and was a volunteer with the
U.S. Citizens Defense Corp. during WWII.
Marilee received her Bachelor’s degree in
Clinical Psychology from UCLA in 1950 and
did graduate studies there and at Claremont
Graduate School. During those years, she
became Director of Education & Youth at the
First Christian Church in North Hollywood,
co-founded its nursery school, and also
worked as a psychological consultant.
In
1952, Marilee’s close-to-home life took an
adventurous direction when she served in
Japan for three years during the Korean
conflict as a civilian club director for the
Special services of the U.S. Armed Forces
Southwester Command. It was a seminal
experience that gave her early insights that
would influence her lifelong professional
and spiritual journey.
Upon
her return, she quickly jumped back into her
professional calling with internships and
later consultancies at several clinical and
educational institutions, including the Hope
guild Clinic/Kennedy Child Study Center at
St. Johns Hospital (Santa Monica); and Los
Angeles County Hospital and USC school of
Medicine. In 1962, Marilee opened her
private consultancy in family relations and
child development in Westwood.
However,
something else had newly opened. She relates
some years later: “After years of searching
in holistic, humanistic and alternative
medicine approaches to health and healing, I
found a new relationship with the Lord and
the Holy Spirit found me”.
Also
found were the perfect channels for this
relationship: southern California Christian
Renewal and Childhelp USA, the nationally
recognized child abuse treatment and
research agency. Since 1978, Marilee served
on its national Coordinating council and was
a co-founder (with Chuck Weber) in 1983 of
Eagles, a big brother/big sister auxiliary
at the Village of Childhelp. Also for 30
years, she was a tireless guiding light to
the Association of Christian Therapists
(ACT), ultimately holding positions as
Regional Coordinator and member on the
national Board of Directors.
With
spiritual renewal she found that “my
abiding interests centered on the Son and
Holy Spirit working in generational,
prenatal and perinatal influences on
behavior, parent-child family development ,
and in Jesus-directed guided imagery and
age-regression and the role of forgiveness
in health and healing…affecting 85% of my
practice.”
Lighting
her path, subtly and searchingly at first,
but eventually demanding a fully committed
surrender, we see that spiritual flame that
would go on to set fires in the hearts of
many until the very end of her life’s work,
which could honestly be said to be the
moment of her last breath on Palm Sunday.
Finally,
she writes, “MY journey is a legacy of
love a gift and grace from God”. It
certainly was dear one. Bless you for taking
us along.
Marilee’s
ashes will be placed in the 155 year-old
family cemetery on the Walker family-owned
farm near her birthplace, alongside her baby
sister, Marilyn, who died before Marilee was
born, and her paternal grandparents. Marilee
is survived by her nieces Karen Walker and
Kimberlee Brown, her grand nieces Natalee
Goto and Lindsey Brown, and her grandnephew,
Michael Brown.
Written
by Neil Frame
My Prayer
To be always
in the Lord’s will, mind, body & spirit
To be strong,
faithful and humble of heart for the Lord’s
ministry
Health for
the journey
Good
stewardship with worldly resources
Death in
God’s good graces
Knowing I
have learned how to love, obey and have
accomplished your will for me in this
lifetime
--
Marilee
