Lynda Kammerlohr Walker, 76, died October 18 at the Elizabeth House of Four Seasons Hospice, Flat Rock, N.C., surrounded by her family. She was born July 24, 1941, in Long Beach, Calif., to Frances and Howard Kammerlohr.www.fourseasonscfl.org

At age 7, she moved with her family to Port Washington, N.Y., and lived there until she attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, where she studied English literature and education. She married her childhood sweetheart, Bob Walker, and raised their two boys, Riley and Robert, in Newtown.

She worked in editing at McGraw Hill in New York City, and later at Seabury Press Children's Books. When their children were grown, Mrs Walker worked at the Geriatric Health Center in Southbury. The Walkers moved to Hendersonville, N.C., in 1997.

Her greatest passion was her family. She loved being a wife, mother, and homemaker. Her home was filled with music, adorned with the beauty of her gardens and reflected her artistic temperament. Mrs Walker was a nurturer. When her husband was recovering from a difficult surgery, he reaffirmed this aspect of her. "She was so gentle and so loving when I was in pain. She was an angel; a real blessing. This was just how she was."

Other hobbies of Mrs Walker's included gardening, line dancing, yoga, hula hooping, walking, reading, mahjong and volunteering. The joys of her life were her family, friends, her beloved dog, and the witnessing of a new day dawning. Mrs Walker lived the way she died: with love and grace.

Her husband, Bob Walker; her two children and spouses, Riley and Jan Walker of Greensboro, N.C., and Robert Dale Walker and Shari Azar of Asheville, N.C; her two grandchildren, Rachel Walker and Mary Campbell Walker of Greensboro; and her sister, Virginia Park of Spokane, Wash., survive Mrs Walker. Her parents and her sister, Diana Cooke, preceded her in death.

A memorial service will take place Saturday, November 4, at 2 pm, at the Episcopal Church of St John In The Wilderness, 1905 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Four Seasons Hospice at