Jannie Lee Walker was born Saturday, July 6, 1929, in Grapeland, Texas. She was one of sixteen children born to Bailey Walker Sr. and Alice Lucindy Walker. She transcended this life while in a peaceful slumber on Wednesday May 24, 2023, at the age of 93.
She was preceded in death by her father, Bailey Walker Sr., her mother, Alice Lucindy Walker, her husband, Eddie Williby, her sisters, Gertrude Simpson, Lucindy Walker, Vera Taylor, Glinda Walker, and Janet Walker, and her brothers, Sylvester Walker, James Walker, Lorenzo Walker, Bailey Walker Jr., A.B. Walker, Sr., Spencer Walker, and twin angels that were named in Heaven.
She is survived by her daughter, Meisha Ellis (Texas City, TX), her grandchildren, W Mitchell Grogan-Walker (Houston, TX), Camryn Jones (Texas City, TX) and Tieraney Ellis (Texas City, TX), her sisters, Stella Walker (Grapeland, TX) and Elwanda Taylor (Lufkin, TX), her bonus daughter, Latosha Blake (Lufkin, TX) and an extensive host of nieces, nephews, and cousins from various cities and states.
In her early years, Jannie could be found looking after and caring for her siblings, and assisting her mother with household chores. During this period, she acquired an uncontended talent for cooking. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of sampling any of her dishes would testify that her food was the most flavorful and delicious food they had ever tasted. This would come to be one of the most notable things she was known for.
As a young adult, she decided to pack her belongings and relocate to Galveston, Texas, where she had obtained employment from her aunt, Eliza Jane Guster, who had come to own her own establishment. There, Jannie would learn the ins and outs of running a business and would later open her own. “Jannie’s Place”. From parties to tournaments and live music, you could always find a packed house. It was a place you could go to find laughter and great music. The patrons came so regularly, they became family. Jannie’s Place served people for over fifteen years before it closed its doors for good.
Jannie not only possessed business savvy, she was also a breath-takingly, stunning woman, who’s beauty commanded the attention of every eye in any room she walked into. She knew it too! She may have been born two days “after” Independence Day, but she was a firecracker. She was sassy and no-nonsense and was always sure to step out dressed to the nines. Many men were consistently vying for her attention, but only one stole her heart...A young musician who went by the stage name “Little Eddie”. They were friends for the longest time before they eventually fell in love. She then became Mrs. Eddie Williby. Together, they raised a daughter who bore them three beautiful grandchildren.
Jannie has been a wonderful daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend, who truly loved everyone. To have known her was to love her. She could be hard as nails in one breath and soft as a baby’s bottom in the next. Although she sometimes wore a tough exterior, she would cry at the drop of a hat due to her overwhelming sensitivity and her desperate need for you to know just how much she loved you. She was the most free-hearted person you will ever meet. If you were ever hungry, she’d feed you. If you needed a place to rest, she’d shelter you. If you needed something and she didn’t have it, she’d find a way to get it. She’s never met a stranger and all friends became family. She touched the hearts and lives of many, both near and far. She was truly one of a kind and the void left by her absence is now a sharp pain that may someday lessen to a dull ache but will always be felt. We must always remember...Though we love her immensely, GOD loves her best!
Public Viewing
Friday, June 2, 2023
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Walker & Walker
Service
Saturday, June 3, 2023
1:00 pm
Mt. Zion Baptist Church
12202 Old 229, Grapeland, TX 75844
Interment
Mt. Zion Cemetery
Grapeland, TX