Phylis Hazzard Walker

Phylis Hazzard Walker died May 7, 2013 in Fallbrook, Calif. She was born Dec. 24, 1919 in Whittier, Calif. the daughter of Arthur G. Hazzard and Anna Bowden Hazzard.

The Hazzards were early residents of Vista, Calif., moving from Carlsbad to Vista in 1925. Phylis, or Mirr, as she was known to family and friends, lived in a tent with her family for the first year in Vista, while her father built a house on Grandview Road. She attended Vista elementary schools and Oceanside High School, because Vista had no high school at the time.

She graduated in 1937 and moved to Benicia, Calif. to attend UC Berkeley. There she met Earl J. Alcorn and they married in 1939. His wedding gift to her was a fishing pole, a .22 rifle, and a pair of Levi’s. Mr. Alcorn was an employee of the U.S. Forest Service and they moved often, living in Fallon, Nev., and in numerous ranger stations in California: Tunnel, Sonora, Bridgeport, Weaverville, Big Bar, and Covelo. They had two children, Ann Marie and Harriet Jean. Earl Alcorn died in 1944.

Mirr went to secretarial school and went to work for the U.S. Forest Service in Nevada City, Calif. She married Noel P. Walker in 1945, then moved back to Vista in 1946, where Mr. Walker built the family a home on Barsby Street. There, they had three more children: twins, Carilyn Sue and Marilyn Kay, and Noel P. Walker, Jr. (Joey). In 1964, they moved to Fallbrook, where Mr. Walker continued his vocation as a citrus and avocado nurseryman.

The Walkers vacationed in the Eastern Sierra, camping in the early days, and later enjoying their cabin in Big Pine Canyon, near Bishop, Calif. She and Mr. Walker backpacked to many of the remote areas of the Sierra. Fall always brought a much-anticipated trip to Idaho for deer and elk hunting.

Mirr was a talented musician, playing piano/organ, violin, and autoharp. She was also a member of the Community Church and sang in the choir. Additionally, she was a member of P.E.O. Chapter JW, Monday Morning Plein Air Painters of Fallbrook, and The Fallbrook Art Association.

She was predeceased by her parents, Art and Anna Hazzard; husband E. J. Alcorn; husband N. P. Walker; daughter Harriet Plew; granddaughter Tracy Plew; sisters Ruthann Wolfe and Jean Rollins. She is survived by her daughters Ann Marie Rogers, Carilyn Vice (Bob), and Marilyn Vinnedge, and son Noel P. Walker, Jr. (Julie); 15 grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandchild; and longtime companion, Dr. Herbert Gabriel.

Special thanks to Mirr’s caregivers: Onelia Lopez, Janette Ambriz, Acresma Santos, Village Home Care, and Elizabeth Hospice. Her life was greatly enriched by their compassionate care.

Mirr was an extraordinary woman and will be greatly missed by all. She was a classy lady who brought a little bit of magic into all of our lives.

Services will be held May 18, 2013 at 2 p.m. at Berry-Bell and Hall Mortuary in Fallbrook.