Stephen Walker’s funeral service was held at Bangor Abbey in Co Down on Friday, with family, friends and former work colleagues gathering to say goodbye. The former NI journalist and author died last Sunday aged 61, after Mark Carruthers told NI’s The View last weekend that Walker had died at home surrounded by people he loved and who loved him.
Bangor Abbey on Friday
The service brought together the people closest to him for a final farewell. Walker had been born in England and brought up in Ballymena, and his career later took him into political reporting at the.
His family described him in the funeral notice as “a wonderful husband, father, brother and son. A fine journalist, author and the very best of friends to so many.” They also said, “We are truly heartbroken and cannot imagine the world without his warmth, love and laughter.”
Stephen Walker and NI
Walker spent a three-decade career at the, including work as a political correspondent. He was also the author of five published works, among them biographies on John Hume and David Trimble.
That body of work places him among the best-known voices and faces associated with NI during that period. The funeral notice and Carruthers’ announcement together give the clearest picture of the immediate timeline: the death last Sunday, then the funeral service on Friday.
Mark Carruthers on The View
Carruthers said on NI’s The View: “So sorry to be the bearer of such sad news, but the Walker family – Katrin, Grace, ack and Gabriel – have asked me to let people know that Stephen passed away at home this morning surrounded by people he loved and who loved him.”
That leaves the account with one unanswered point: what caused Stephen Walker’s death. For now, the public record in this story ends with the funeral at Bangor Abbey and the family’s farewell to a journalist and author whose work spanned three decades at the.
