Frances (May) Walker

Frances Elizabeth (May) Walker, age 30, passed away in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 8, 2023, following a brief illness. Frances was born in Pocatello, Idaho, in 1993 to James Alfred and Alison Gwinn May.

Frances started school in Pocatello, then moved with her parents and older brother, Andrew, to Columbus, Miss., followed by Edmond, Okla., and finished high school in Moses Lake, Wash., where she was a top 10 graduate. Beginning in 2011, she attended Boise State University where she was active in the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. She completed her bachelor of business administration degrees in Accountancy and Business Economics (Cum Laude) from BSU in 2015, followed by her Juris Doctorate (Summa Cum Laude) from Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Wash., in 2019. She gathered friends, a love of learning and fond memories in each of these communities.

In 2013, she met fellow BSU student and love of her life, Jordan Walker of Innisfail, Alberta, Canada. Once they met, there was no one else for either of them. Jordan and Frances shared a love of travel and adventure in their ten years together including six months in Australia, backpacking in Southeast Asia, their engagement in Jamaica, and trips across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. They married in a small civil ceremony Jan. 2, 2020, with plans for a large summer wedding celebration when friends and family from both sides of the border could gather. Although COVID got in the way of their “big” wedding plans, their happiness in marriage was obvious to all who knew them.

Following law school, Frances took a job as a law clerk in the Washington State Court of Appeals in Spokane. In August of 2021, Frances and Jordan moved to Yakima, Wash., where she had accepted a position as a Deputy County Prosecutor. This fast-paced and challenging position was short-lived as she was offered and accepted her dream job as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington in the spring of 2022.

Although 30 years is far too short, Frances packed those years full of adventures, academic and career successes, unmatched baking skills, good bottles of wine, friendship and family. She always had a smile, quick wit and loved her people fiercely.

Frances is survived by her husband Jordan Walker of Yakima,parents James and Alison May of Moses Lake, Wash., brother Andrew May of Moses Lake, grandmother Janet MacKenzie of Pocatello, mother-in-law Tracey Kinsella (Dave) of Innisfail, Alberta, father-in-law Brent Walker (Tammy Pavelich) of Red Deer, Alberta, uncle Tom Gwinn (Kathy) of Pocatello, aunt Annette Gwinn Anderson (Paul) of Pocatello, uncle Kent Higley of Salt Lake City, Utah, and aunt Laurel May of Meridian, Idaho, as well as her dearly loved cousins. She was preceded in death by her grandfathers, Vinton E. Gwinn, Francis R. MacKenzie and James Alfred May, and grandmother Glenda May.

Family members will receive guests at Wilks Funeral Home in Chubbuck, Idaho, on Friday, Sept. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. Her memorial service will be held Saturday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. at Wilks Funeral Home, followed by burial at Mt. View Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Frances Elizabeth (May) Walker Memorial Scholarship at Boise State University (https://ponyup.boisestate.edu).