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T

he news came as a shock to Oriental Thursday afternoon. Captain Larry Walker had been diving in Tortola in the morning and suffered what appears to have been a heart attack. Efforts to revive him failed. He was 59.

Captain Larry Walker at the opening of the Bow To Stern Youth Sailing Camp in June of 2008.

Larry Walker was a larger than life figure in virtually everything he did, whether he was running a successful business, channeling Santa in Oriental’s Spirit of Christmas celebration, or officiating at over 50 weddings. Friends are recalling a man who was spirited and generous.

Larry Walker, in his Santa mode, with Bora Staub last Christmas season. On Larry’s passing, Bora’s father Don said, “You know that any time a red Chrysler Le Baron goes by, people are going to hope that this was just a bad dream.” (Photo from Staub family collection.)

Larry moved to Oriental from New Jersey twelve years ago. After coming to town he tried to develop some real estate, then worked for a boat broker. Ultimately, he became a teacher.

Nine years ago, he set up World Wide Marine Training school to train boat captains for their licensing tests. In the first years, he based the business out of what had been Red Lee’s Grill, at the corner of Broad and North Streets. Then he bought a building and moved the business a few miles west of town on Hiway 55. World Wide Marine thrived, employing several teachers besides Larry.

A familiar sight in Oriental, in effect, a Christmas parade all year. Larry Walker rode through town often in his red convertible, top down. It was the rare weather system that made him put up the roof. Here he is after the snow this past February, in front of the Town Dock. (Photo by John Phillips)

Many of the classes were held here in Oriental, but Larry also traveled to other states — such as New York, Missouri, Illinois — to offer the courses. Joe DeSherlia took the course six years ago in Illinois. He became a friend of Larry’s and was in Tortola, diving with him Thursday when Larry suffered his apparent heart attack. In an interview a few hours later, he said that Larry “made friends with everybody.”

Captain Larry Walker. He was a captain of the sea and was also in demand to officiate at weddings. This photo is from a ceremony he performed in May. A friend says Larry recently told her that he’d performed 50 wedding ceremonies in the past decade.(Photo from collection of Mary Norman)

While many students came from away to take the course, area residents also attended Larry’s classes. “He was a great instructor,” says Roger Cordes, noting that Larry made things clear and adjusted to the learning abilities of those in the room.

Roger says though they differed politically — Larry wasn’t shy about sharing his conservative views — “he was a good-hearted person.” As happened often Thursday, the word “generous” came up to describe Larry.

“He was a good old Southern gentleman,” says Georgie Powell. “A good old Southern gentleman from New Jersey. I loved him.”

His first few years in town, Larry rented a place from Georgie. She also cut Larry’s hair for years and says he’d been in her Broad Street shop less than a week ago. “I just permed his hair Friday to be Santa.”

Must Be Larry

Santa. The role he would be best known for was one he was about to play again next Saturday. In Oriental’s Spirit of Christmas celebration, Larry Walker was the very embodiment of Santa Claus, with the real white beard and his ever-upbeat presence.

Santa/Larry Walker at the 2009 Spirit of Christmas celebration, here, inside Oriental’s Old Theater.

On Spirit of Christmas Saturday Santa Larry would ride around town in a small car that emphasized his bearing even more, his voice a chuckle as he wished anyone in view a Merry Christmas. He would then visit with the crowd of kids inside the Old Theater. After that it was off to the parade, which he took part in from the bow of the Hobucken Coast Guard’s orange inflatable, calling out to individuals he spied on the parade route.

Larry Walker in last year’s Spirit of Christmas parade, as Santa made his way down Hodges Street in the Coast Guard inflatable craft.

Jack Coulter says that that aside from serving in the US Navy (1969-1973) the other highlight in Larry’s life was “being Santa Claus for the kids of Pamlico County. He absolutely loved seeing the Christmas magic in children’s eyes. We always joked with him that he had convinced himself he really was Santa!”

Becky Ackiss says it was something more than his appearance that made Larry fit for that role “He was such a generous man. It wasn’t his beard and red suit that made Larry the real Santa Claus. It was his heart.”

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Posted Friday December 3, 2010 by Melinda Penkava

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