Three family members of former San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Walker confirmed dead in Texas flood

San Francisco Chronicle​

a day ago

Two days after the deadly July Fourth floods overtook the Guadalupe River, a baseball field hundreds of miles away filled with candles for missing victims Mark and Sara Walker, as well as their 14-year-old son Johnny.
One month later, Kerr County officials confirmed that all three members of the San Francisco Bay Area family had died. The Walkers were listed on the county's first official registry of over 100 bodies found by swarms of search-and-recovery crews who had blanketed the region. Only two victims remained missing.
Mark, a leader in investment and real estate, was the brother of major league baseball pitcher Tyler Walker. In his long career Tyler played for several teams, including the San Francisco Giants. But it was Sara, who grew up in Houston and Austin, who had deep ties to Texas and spent her childhood summers at sleepaway camp in Hill Country.
The California trio had been staying at a riverside house they owned in Hunt — one of the places most devastated by the flood — while Mark and Sarah's 16-year-old daughter Ellie Walker attended nearby Camp Waldemar, following in her mother's footsteps.
The camp was spared from major damage, and Ellie survived. Seven miles away, the rising river wiped her family's home off of the map.
A missing son
Mark's mother, Kathy Walker, shared details of her missing family members in the days after the flood. She told the San Francisco Chronicle she had last heard from them on July 3.
Her daughter-in-law Sara sent text messages with photos of Ellie enjoying camp and Johnny golfing at the river house. Kathy responded in emojis: a hug and kiss.
The following day, Kathy said, she turned on CNN at around noon to see footage of the disaster plastered across her screen. Then Tyler called her to ask for news of his older brother. She had none.
"I'm sick to my stomach," the 80-year-old said at the time. "It's a terrible feeling, because you're helpless here."
"The Sharkey and Walker families greatly appreciate the tremendous support they have received from friends and family," it read. "Additionally, the family would like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of the first responders, law enforcement, and volunteers in Texas."
The obituary encouraged those who wanted to honor the trio to save contributions for an Ellie Bell Walker Charitable Trust that they planned to create for the family's surviving daughter.
Surviving Texas ties
As they waited for news on July 6, friends of the Walker family filled the Bacich Elementary School baseball field in Kentfield, California to hold a vigil for the missing trio.
A 400-person crowd of children and adults prayed in silence, clutching candles and white roses.
"We all love them," a man said to the crowd. "Keep the faith."
By late July, the family's tone had shifted. They announced one memorial service in California, and another in Texas.
According to their Legacy.com obituary, Sara and Mark Walker met at the University of Texas at Austin's business school. They were married in 2005, and were raising their two children in California. They prioritized family. They loved God.
Their son Johnny had spent five summers at another Kerr County camp called La Junta. This summer, he was instead preparing for an early start to freshman year, with Marin Catholic High School football practice beginning in August.
Family members wrote that Johnny, who died at 14, was already a "fierce competitor on the field and the court" as well as a "gentle and empathetic soul." In his recent Episcopal church confirmation he shared his favorite bible verse, Joshua 1:9, which commands that followers "be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
His parents, who both died in their early 50s, focused on building a tight community in California while also caring for their friendships and family connections in Texas. They coached their children's sports teams and volunteered for local nonprofits.
According to their surviving families, "parenting Johnny and Ellie was the greatest joy of their lives."