Friends, family remember victim in Newport fire
By Kirsten Glavin
@kirstenglavin
NEWPORT, RI – Officials confirmed that 57-year-old Luke Walker of Middletown was the victim in Tuesday afternoon’s fire on 62 Halsey Street.
Jackie Henderson was Walker’s personal trainer. She said Walker was determined to get stronger, recovering from a motorcycle accident in 2013 that left him with one leg and brain damage.
"He really just wanted to get his life back. He wanted to drive again, he wanted to build engines again, and he really just wanted to be who he was before the accident. He really never gave up on that hope,” Henderson explained.
Henderson trained him every week. She helped Walker, walk again.
"Sometimes he got discouraged because he lost a lot of his life,” she said. “But he pushed through that." Friday would have been their next session together.
“To overcome what he overcame and then to pass away this tragically, is really a sad event."
Walker died in a small fire that officials say took 11 minutes to put out. ABC6 is told he had a space in the building where he would work on art projects, and working on repairing motorcycles. Friends say he had taken up a number of hobbies since his injuries.
Abc6 was at the scene of the fire later Tuesday night, and spoke to a witness.
"I was just biking by on my way to work and the first thing I noticed was the funny smell. Like chemicals, or wood or something, some maybe… Painted wood burning,” said Kyle Manning, a local employee.
Walker‘s wife of 32 years, Bess, was too emotional to go on camera but told ABC6 in a phone interview that she is thankful for the time they had together.
"Since that accident he gave us 1,151 days of extra time because he was strong enough to persist and live, and live his way,” said Bess Walker. "It’s been a very special time, to have the extra time with Luke."
