Al Walker

Ashley Alvin "Al" Walker, age 91, of 337 Sunset Dr. North, Asheboro died Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem. A memorial service will be held on Friday, January 13, 2012 at 2:00 PM at the Pugh Funeral Home Chapel, 437 Sunset Avenue, Asheboro with Andrew Payne officiating. The family will receive friends following the service at Pugh Funeral Home. Mr. Walker was born in Tarboro, NC, grew up in High Point, NC, and graduated from High Point High School. He attended UNC in the V-12 program and served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. After WWII he managed the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill where he met his wife to be Pearl Hackney. In 1949 he moved to Asheboro to go into the grocery business with his brother, Russell Walker. This grew into the Food Line Supermarket chain, which he helped run for 30 years. Active in the community, he was President of the Asheboro Jaycees, President of the Asheboro Chamber of Commerce, served many years on the Randolph County Board of Education, and was instrumental in the integration of the school system. He was the former chair of the Randolph Democratic Party, and he recently retired, after many years of service, from the Board of the Asheboro Housing Authority. He was a deacon of the First Baptist Church, where he helped start a mission that later became Armfield Heights Baptist Church. He is survived by his daughters, Jane Walker Payne (Bob) of Jamestown, NC, Pam Walker Watkins (Bruce) of Wilmington, NC, Dana Walker (David Parramore) of Sopchoppy, FL; son, Robert Walker (Debbie Davis) of Kernersville, NC; 3 grandchildren, Andrew Payne, Casey Watkins, and Jud Watkins; sister, Mavis Causby of High Point, NC; and numerous nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends Friday, January 13, 2012 following the memorial service at Pugh Funeral Home, 437 Sunset Avenue, Asheboro, NC. In lieu of flowers, Al requested memorials be made to Hospice of Randolph, P.O. Box 9, Asheboro, NC 27204-0009; the Alzheimer's Association, Carolina Piedmont Chapter, 3420 Shamrock Drive, Charlotte, NC 28215; or the NC Zoological Society, 4403 Zoo Parkway, Asheboro, NC 27205.