Karin Van De Walker

Karin Ute Van De Walker, of Kalamazoo Michigan, passed away January 14, 2025. She was born in Berlin Germany March 12, 1937. She was raised in Czechoslovakia during WWII.

When Karin was 8 years old, she and her mother were living in Berlin at the close of WWII. They abandoned their apartment, took only what they could carry, and headed west toward the allied forces because they did not want to be found in the Russian-occupied section of Berlin. They hid out and were eventually found by western forces and sent to a refugee camp. Many of her cousins and family ended up in East Berlin until the wall eventually came down. They met up with her grandmother and eventually the three of them settled in Ansbach Germany. She attended an all-girl school where she became proficient at multiple languages and science. She studied Chemistry and Physics at University, the only woman in both programs.

Karin met David L. Van De Walker, a soldier stationed in Germany, when she was working for the US Army. They married and moved to Texas, and later to Kalamazoo, Michigan. She took a job as a computer operator, when computers were still a new concept and filled an entire room, at Allen Test Products until she retired.

Karin was an avid reader. She continued to read and find interest in science, art, and history her entire life. She was shy around people because of severe hearing loss from scarlet fever at a young age, and preferred the company of family and a good book. Karin collected many fine things. She was excellent and meticulous with hand crafts and art. She had a quiet faith and was a member of Zion Lutheran Church while in Kalamazoo.

Karin is survived by her brother, Patrick Nonnenmacher, and her three sons: Kent (Rebecca) Van De Walker, grandchildren Emily (Seth Durham), Lillian, and Loden; Ray (Susan) Van De Walker, grandchildren Megan (Andy Craig), Joseph (Brittany Dodson), Sebastian (Manna Smith), and Nick; Stephen (Theresa) Van De Walker, grandchildren Jordan (Julia), Bryce (Rose), Andrew (Alison), and Tessa. She has 5 great grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held in Kalamazoo in March.