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Dr. Jack Walker, PhD, died on December 20, 2025, surrounded by loved ones after living life to the fullest. He is survived by his beloved wife Clare with whom he celebrated 70 years of marriage a few months ago, daughters Pat (Doug), Angela (Jim) and son Peter (Mardi). He was adored by his 8 grandchildren, Dr. Amanda Giffin (Dave), Colin Scheer, Andrew, Ryan and Lindsay Marczak and Tyler, Cassie and Alanna Walker. His 3 great grandsons (Teddy, Ben and Elias Giffin) were a constant source of joy over the past several years.
Jack was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England in 1929, the son of Mary and Harry Walker. He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Birmingham before emigrating to Canada in 1954. He started his career in Canada as a lecturer at the University of Toronto. He met Clare while living at her grandmother’s boarding house on Spadina Ave when she needed help with her chemistry homework.
Jack and Clare were married in 1955 and moved to Lloydminster, Alberta where Jack was an oil pioneer working for Husky Oil as the one-man research department.
In 1957, Jack joined Imperial Oil in Sarnia as a research chemist. He spent the next 30 years holding various positions within the Imperial Oil and Exxon Research Departments in Sarnia and New Jersey before transferring to Toronto in a senior management position. His final role with Imperial Oil was as assistant manager of the research department in Sarnia. Throughout his career Jack was the author of a number of technical papers and is credited with a number of patents.
Jack loved his family above all else. He and Clare shared many great adventures travelling the world and enjoyed many years of retirement in Boca Raton, Barbados, Toronto and Sarnia.
The family would like to thank the nurses and doctors at Bluewater Health on the 4th floor and in the palliative care unit. They are also grateful for the support of PSW’s from Care Partners, Bayshore and Shine at Home (Chelsea, Tabitha, Shawn, Bawa, Lance, Heather, Melissa and the many others) over the past several years. Lambton Elderly Outreach provided great transportation to Jack’s appointments.
A memorial service will take place at Smith Funeral Home – London Line Chapel, 1576 London Line, Sarnia, on Friday, December 26, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. with family and friends being received one hour prior from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
He will be greatly missed by many.
