John C. Walker, 76, of Dubuque, Iowa passed away on August 18th, 2026, at MercyOne Medical Center.

Visitation will be on Friday, August 21, 2026, 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, August 22 from 9:30-10:30 AM at Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory, 2595 Rockdale Rd. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at the funeral home with Military Honors by the Dubuque Marine Corps League and Ceremony of the Four Fives by the Dubuque Fire Department.

John was born on May 14, 1950, in Dubuque, Iowa, the son of Robert and Jayne (Link) Walker. John graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 1968. He attended Iowa State University for one year after graduation and then served in United States Marine Corps for 3 years during Vietnam Era. After his service in the Marines, John worked for the Culver City Fire Department in Culver City, California.

John moved back to Dubuque and was a police officer for the Dubuque Police Department in 1978. He then joined the Dubuque Fire Department in 1979 as a firefighter. He was promoted to Fire Equipment Operator in 1987. John was a dedicated Firefighter for the City of Dubuque for 33 years, retiring in 2013.

He married the love of his life, Donna Martin on February 27, 1987, becoming a proud husband and stepfather to Eric and Nathan.

John is survived by his wife Donna; children Eric (Laurie) Miller, of East Dubuque, IL and Nathan (Laura) Miller of Dubuque; treasured grandchildren: Ayden, Connor, Tierney, Alyvia, Aubrey and Nathan Jr. Miller. Two siblings Robert (Maureen) Walker Jr. and Sher Rice; sister-in-laws Mary Lou (Daryl) Meisner, Peggy (Tom) Holdiman, and Diana (Michael) Rohach and his nieces and nephews, Amy, Erin, Sierra, Jason, Janeal, Brooke, Jenna, Ben and Anna, as well as his special extended family Jim and Sue Burdt.

He was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Jayne, his father and mother in-law Dwayne and Mary Anne Martin, and brother-in-law John Rice. After his brother in-law’s passing, John took great pride in walking his niece Sierra down the aisle at her wedding and being a grandfather figure for Sierra’s son Benjamin.

In lieu of flowers a John C. Walker memorial fund will be established.

The family wishes to thank the MercyOne 3 rd Floor medical staff and Hospice of Dubuque for their care and compassion. A special thank you to the retired and current firefighters of the Dubuque Fire Department for their visits and stories during John’s stay at Mercy – he was truly touched by all of those conversations and shared memories.