Bluffton, South Carolina – Dr. Mary Klotz Walker, 80, passed away peacefully in Bluffton, SC, on October 8th, 2026.

Mary was born in East Lansing, MI, but within months moved to and grew up in Bar Harbor, ME. She was raised in the Roman Catholic church and had a lifelong connection to her faith.

Mary graduated from St. Francis High School Mount Alverno, Mishawaka, IN in 1964, and was an accomplished lifelong scholar of Nursing and Behavioral Science, earning her B.S.N. from Loyola University Chicago in 1972, M.S.N. from University of Illinois-Chicago in 1975, M.A. from University of Chicago in 1978, and Ph.D. from University of Illinois-Chicago in 1980. Her passion for the profession of nursing included faculty positions as Professor of Nursing for 40 years, including at the University of Illinois-Chicago, University of Kentucky, University of South Florida, and Eastern Kentucky University, and in addition she was Dean and/or Director of numerous colleges and schools of nursing to include Seattle University (also Dean Emerita), Loyola University Chicago, South University in Savannah, and University of Maine. Even after formally retiring in 2021, Mary continued teaching nursing for several years at other institutions, including St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, IN and UCLA. She was an extensively published researcher, leading 23 scientific dissertations to publication, and was a highly recognized professional across her more than 50-year career who consistently served in countless leadership and governance positions, including decades of unwavering service and policy advocacy to the national chapters of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the American Nurses Association, as well as various state nursing associations professional organizations.

In addition to being an incredibly loving mother, grandmother, partner, friend, and avid pet owner, Mary was an effortlessly talented pianist and a master at needlepoint. Mary somehow always found time to volunteer throughout her life, whether it was serving on hospital boards or with local community organizations. While she loved to travel extensively, she was especially captivated by the ocean and fell in love with the South Carolina Low Country later in life. She had an unwavering and deep connection with her family and its traditions, and she always seemed to find beautiful and symbolic meaning in life’s joys as well as its complexities. Her light and her love will be sorely missed forever.

Mary leaves to honor her memory her beloved partner and friend of over 30 years, Karen Sue O’Connor, her two sons, Thomas Capell Walker, III (Sabrina) of Easley, SC and Matthew Houston Walker (Allie) of Dayton, OH. She also leaves her younger sister, Therese Klotz Marshall (David) of Prospect, KY; her six grandchildren: Kayleigh, Hunter, Declan, and Mackenzie of Easley, SC and Owen and Olivia of Dayton, OH; and her partner’s daughters Robin Sue O’Connor (Curtis) of Olathe, KS, and Mary Kursten Euwer (Tavish) of Weston, MO, and their children, Harper Euwer of Kansas City, MO, William Euwer of Omaha, NE, and Samuel Fink of Olathe, KS. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, the late Avon Robert Klotz and Josephine Mary Kane Klotz; by her younger brother and sister, Michael Robert Klotz and Roberta Jean Klotz Stalvey; and by her former husband, Thomas Capell Walker, Jr.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Niehoff School of Nursing at Loyola University Chicago. Visitation for family and friends will be held on Friday, October 16, 2026 from 6pm-8pm at Fox & Weeks Funeral Directors at 7200 Hodgson Memorial Drive in Savannah, GA. Family and friends are also invited to a Funeral Mass in Mary’s honor at 11:00am, Saturday, October 17, 2026 at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, 31 Saint Gregory Dr. in Bluffton, SC, and to her Committal at 1:30pm, Sunday, October 18, 2026 at Greenwich Cemetery, 330 Greenwich Rd. in Savannah, GA.