lit a candle 6d agoSaw this in the Blade listings, don't know the family, just struck by it. Oldest of six is its own job before you even get a resume going. Eighty years old, born in Texas 1945, ends up in Southfield. That's a whole life of moving and nobody wrote down why. Vera Marie Fossette, Dr. Walker Sr, good solid names, you can tell someone kept records. Anyway. Rest well Mr Walker, or Toby, whichever you answered to. Edit: just realized he died in Detroit not Southfield, fixing that in my head, doesn't change anything really.
Their story
William R. "Toby" Walker II was a longtime resident of Southfield, Michigan, who died on January 13, 2026, in Detroit at the age of 80. The notice of his passing appeared in The Blade, the Toledo, Ohio newspaper, as part of its obituary listings, and it is from that notice…
William R. "Toby" Walker II was a longtime resident of Southfield, Michigan, who died on January 13, 2026, in Detroit at the age of 80. The notice of his passing appeared in The Blade, the Toledo, Ohio newspaper, as part of its obituary listings, and it is from that notice that the basic facts of his life are known.
According to the obituary, he was born on October 24, 1945, in Texas, the eldest of six children born to Dr. William R. Walker Sr. and Vera Marie (Fossette) Walker. Friends and family knew him by two names, "Toby" and "Bill", a detail that speaks to the warmth with which he was regarded by those closest to him.
Publicly available reporting at this time does not establish the occupation, career, or public achievements of William R. "Toby" Walker II. He does not appear to have a Wikipedia entry, and no newspaper profile, biography, or further press coverage beyond the funeral notice has been found. It has therefore not been possible to confirm what line of work he pursued, whether he held public office, served in the military, or was otherwise known to a wider audience. This page will be updated as more verified information becomes available.
What is documented is the outline of his family: he was the oldest of six siblings, and he was remembered by loved ones in Southfield, Michigan, the Detroit suburb where he made his home. His death was announced through the customary channel of a funeral notice rather than through news coverage, which is consistent with a private life rather than one lived in the public eye.
William R. "Toby" Walker II passed away on January 13, 2026, in Detroit. He was 80 years old. The cause of his death has not been made public.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by Legacy | Obituary.
