Obituary of Ann Riemer Walker

Ann Riemer Walker, 87, of Lawrenceville, NJ, passed away on September 30, 2024 at PennMedicine Plainsboro Hospital after a brief illness.

Ann was born on October 19,1936 in New York City, the eldest child of Marjorie and Hugo Riemer. During her senior year in high school, Ann won a Kinsmen Trust scholarship to study abroad at St. George’s School in Harpenden, England. She received her bachelor’s degree in Government from Cornell University in 1958, and later, earned her master’s degree in Special Education from The College of New Jersey.

Ann was a consummate educator and teacher who served many professional roles in schools and educational programs across the country wherever she and her husband Bill lived. She was a pivotal member of her community and spent her life volunteering. She supported her treasured church families at Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church, where she also taught English as a Second Language, and at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville. Ann was a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, a women’s organization whose primary focus is providing educational opportunities for female students. As well, Ann taught adults to read at Literacy New Jersey, Mercer County Programs, and she and Bill delivered Meals on Wheels every week and served meals at the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. Ann was grateful for the opportunities in her life and believed in giving back to her community and supporting those in need whether through local organizations, inviting neighbors for a meal, or just showing up anytime someone needed a helping hand. Ann gathered people around her and created community wherever she went. She was an unparalleled hostess, making people feel welcomed and loved.

Ann married Bill, the love of her life, in 1958 after meeting by chance four years earlier while driving back in separate cars to Cornell University in a snowstorm. Ann accepted Bill’s invitation to be a 4^th for bridge with him and his two companions while waiting for the road to reopen, and brought a chocolate cake with her! Ann and Bill celebrated their 66^th wedding anniversary last June.

Ann was a lifelong learner, an avid reader and member of multiple book clubs, a lover of art and travel, and even picked up watercolor painting at her home at Meadow Lakes. Her family was surprised and delighted when her hand-painted cards began to appear in the mail.

Ann was thoughtful in big ways and small, and nothing made her happier than using that superpower for her family. She delighted her grandchildren in so many ways, and there was always a fresh batch of cookies in Ann’s kitchen, a new book recommendation on the nightstand, and a list of potential activities when family visited.

She was surrounded by a stream of family and friends in her final days and continued to smile, squeeze their hands, and do her best to reassure those around her while she faced the unknown with the same grace and humor with which she approached her life.

Ann leaves behind her beloved husband, Bill Walker; her sons: Dave Walker and his wife Colleen, Ken Walker and his wife Jennifer, and Tom Walker and his wife Alison; her grandchildren: Amanda Nelsen, Billy Walker, Kyle Walker and his wife Jessica, Jacob Walker and his wife Victoria, Lucas Walker, Cody Walker and his wife Meghan, and Dylan Walker; her great-grandchildren: Wyatt Nelsen, Avery Walker, and Daisy Walker; her siblings: Carol Newlan and her husband Lee, Mary Fogarty; and her sister-in-law Susan Deshon Riemer.

She is preceded in death by her parents Marjorie and Hugo Riemer, brother George Riemer, brother-in-law Tom Fogarty, in-laws Elizabeth and William McClean Walker, great grandchild Amira Walker, as well as Ann and Bill’s Chilean exchange student “son” Mauricio Riveros Salgado and his wife Adriana.

A private interment will be held at Restland Memorial Park in East Hanover, NJ.

Please share your memories of Ann on the tribute wall at www.poulsonvanhise.com  

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Ann's name to the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen. You may mail donations to P. O. Box 872, Trenton, NJ 08609