Bryon J Walker,

MADISON/LAFARGE-Bryon J. Walker, age 59, passed away on Monday, March 11, 2013, at Agrace HospiceCare in Fitchburg. He was born on February 10, 1954, in Madison, to Jerome and Kathleen (Dwyer) Walker. Bryon was part of a group of students that wrote the first Ford Foundation grant that funded Malcolm Shabazz Alternative High School in Madison in 1970. He went on to graduate from Malcolm Shabazz in 1972. He then went to the University of Wisconsin where he studied Spanish and earned his law degree in 1984. Bryon was a medical interpreter at Fort McCoy during the Cuban Refugee Immigration in the early 1980s. He participated in the early years of the cooperative movement in Madison, and over the years was a member of many food cooperatives including Mifflin Street, Willy Street, the Kickapoo Exchange in Gays Mills, and the Viroqua Food Cooperative. He worked as a cab driver and in other capacities at Union Cap, also serving on the Board of Directors. Bryon was passionately involved throughout his life in various peace, justice, and sustainability movements around Central America, South Africa, green groups in Madison, and in his later years in the Kickapoo Valley where he organized Earth Day celebrations and served on the Board of Community Conservation. Bryon was also a passionate and dedicated advocate for the legalization of marijuana, and was active in NORML. As a public defender, Bryon used his law degree to help the poor and disadvantaged and gave of himself extensively. He was a man with a keen sense of justice, an abiding commitment to peace, and a fierce passion for the environment. No question, the most important thing Bryon did with his life was raising his three children. Bryon was an active outdoorsman. He enjoyed hiking in the woods, hunting and fishing, especially with his son, Dylan. Bryon is survived by his children; daughters, Laura Martin of Stoughton and Moira Walker of La Farge; son, Dylan Walker of La Farge; his grandson, Brody Martin of Stoughton; his sisters, Julie (Walker) Lybek of Oregon and Rose Walker of Madison; and the mothers of his children, Mary (Bob) Martin of Stoughton and Gillian Pomplun of Gays Mills. He is further survived by several nieces, a nephew, aunts, uncles, and many cousins and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents, Jerome Walker and Kathleen Hansen both of Madison; sister, Sharon Muldowney of Madison; and brother, Brett Walker of Temecula, CA. A Celebration of Bryon’s Life will take place at GUNDERSON FITCHBURG FUNERAL HOME, 2950 Chapel Valley Road, Fitchburg, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., on Thursday, March 14, 2013. Burial will follow at the Natural Path Sanctuary located at the Farley Center in Verona. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Agrace HospiceCare, Friends of Bryon Walker or the Farley Center. On-line condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Cemetery: Burial will follow at the Farley Center Natural Path Sanctuary in Verona. A Celebration of Bryon’s Life will take place at GUNDERSON FITCHBURG FUNERAL HOME, 2950 Chapel Valley Rd., Fitchburg, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., on Thursday, Mar. 14, 2013. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Agrace HospiceCare, Friends of Bryon Walker or the Farley Center.