Jason Walker was a learner.
Jason Walker Photo courtesy of Department of Public Safety
Walker, 51, worked in the building trades, but he dabbled in a little bit of everything.
He enjoyed vegetable gardening, preserving seeds, sausage-making, baking bread and creating educational YouTube videos, his family said in his obituary.
He researched religion, vehicle repair and building. He sang and played guitar. He helped the Sabattus Historical Society record and edit oral histories.
“Jason did some amazing work,” the historical society said in a post on its Facebook page. He helped the society capture the town’s history, lending his time and expertise.
And he loved bowling.
Walker, of Sabattus, was a league member at Just-in-Time Recreation, as was his lifelong best friend, Michael Deslauriers II.
Jason and Mike were both killed at the bowling alley.
Mike’s father, Michael Deslauriers Sr., who is also chair of the historical society, said in a social media post that the two men made sure their wives and the children at the bowling alley were safe and then charged the shooter.
People who knew Jason and Michael said the act wasn’t surprising.
“Jason was a selfless and giving friend and helped out others whether physically, spiritually, or financially, whenever needed,” his obituary said.
He was highly protective of his wife, Kathleen, and his two sons, Collin and Jonathan.
Kathleen Walker said on Facebook that she was sharing her husband’s obituary on what should have been their 26th wedding anniversary.
He will always be her hero, she said.
Justin Goudreau, a friend of Jason’s, said on social media that he cherished videos of Jason gardening and teaching one of his sons music, and that he was proud of the father Jason became.
“Your friends look up to you in so many ways,” he said. “We admire your strength, your passion and your love for learning new things.”
Goudreau compared Jason to “the most beautiful dog” that is sometimes hard to pet. He noted his compassion, his appreciation of the little things and his desire to bring people together.
“I saw you even when you thought I was not looking,” he said.
Jason was a Renaissance man, said Jay Trevorrow, who coached Jason in Lacrosse as a teen.
“I have been awed by the person he became over time,” Trevorrow wrote on Facebook. “More than anything else, his relentless curiosity is what I will remember about Jason.”
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