ST. LOUIS — A public memorial service for Cora Faith Walker, former state representative and St. Louis County policy chief, will be held Friday morning in St. Louis.Â
Walker, 37, died Friday morning. Her memorial will be at 11 a.m. Friday, March 18, at Friendly Temple Church at 5545 Martin Luther King Drive, according to a statement from her family.Â
“The Walker family extends its heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of condolences since Cora Faith’s transition on Friday, March 11, 2022,†the statement read.Â
“Cora dedicated her life’s work to public service, social justice, women’s reproductive rights, and health equity access. She was an ardent advocate for women, children, and the underserved throughout Ferguson, the state of Missouri, and the world. Cora, always strident and steadfast in her devotion to meet the most pressing needs of her community, achieved so much because she put service to others before self.Â
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“While we feel the loss of Cora deeply, we are comforted in knowing that Cora’s community service empowers and impacts the lives of so many families. We know her work will continue through the service of others.â€Â
In lieu of flowers, the Walker family has asked for donations to charities and organizations Walker supported: Nurses for Newborns, Jamaa Birth Village, Pro Choice Missouri, and the Veterans Community Project-St. Louis. Â
The release did not list a cause of death. Eugenia Gardner, a spokeswoman for the family, declined comment until a coroner’s report is finalized.
EMS responded Friday morning
Capt. Garon Mosby, a spokesman for the city’s fire and emergency medical services department, on Friday confirmed paramedics responded to a call for a medical emergency at 9:33 a.m. at the Loews hotel at 799 Clark Avenue and transported a woman in urgent, critical condition. Mosby did not have more details.
The person, at the time, had not been identified by the medical examiner’s office, pending notification of next of kin.
Capt. Leon Whitener, a St. Louis Fire Department spokesman, on Monday declined further comment, and referred the Post-Dispatch to the St. Louis Police Department.
Chief Medical Examiner Michael A. Graham on Monday confirmed Walker was pronounced dead at 9:58 a.m. Friday at St. Louis University Hospital.
There were no signs of trauma or injury, Graham said.
The medical examiner’s office notified police later Friday, but on Monday characterized that call as routine.
A full report was pending the results of a routine lab tests.