Michael Shelby Walker was born in Indiana on 27 May 1952, grew up in Hamilton, Ohio, and moved to Oak Ridge in the late 1960s.  He graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and worked in the nuclear field for most of his career.  Like Scotty from StarTrek, all he ever wanted to be was an engineer.  He was a man of many dedicated interests; he knew something about many things.

Mike extensively researched his family genealogy and was always happy to help someone work out a kink in their research.  He was an active member of the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers, Smoky Mountain Mensa, the Scottish Society of Knoxville, the St Andrews Society of Aiken (SC), the Clan Stewart Society of America, the Clan McLaren Society of North America and Clan Donald USA, holding offices in several groups.  Many Thursday nights saw him at Boyd's Jig and Reel for the Scottish music session.  He joined the West Knox Lions Club for several years and was active in their vision outreach. He always had an interest in HAM radio and received his licenses in 2024.  Mike joined several radio clubs, emergency response nets and the emergency communication team for Methodist Medical Center.

Mike is survived by his wife Star Lakavage, his brothers Robert (Kendra) Walker, Bill (Mary) Walker, Tom Walker (Virginia), sisters  Linda (Matthew) Carroll, Karen (Ben) Tackitt, Bettie Ann (Jeff) Seymour plus many nephews, a few nieces, great nieces and nephews and cousins. He had a special connection to his nephew, Mark Walker, sharing their Scottish interests. He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Janice (Snoke) Walker, his birth father, Frank and stepmother Polly Walker and sister Candace Sue Larese.  He will be missed by those he met in his wide network of friends, many who were like family-never undervalue your friends.  He was a good guy.

Michael passed away suddenly on 14 April 2025 due to injuries from a motor vehicle accident that was not his fault.  Many thanks to all accident responders.  A wake will be held at a later date.  To pay a tribute to Michael, consider a donation to your local animal shelter or Lions Club to support their vision programs. Holley Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton is in charge of all arrangements.  holleygamble.com