Arthur H. "Sonny" Walker

Arthur Henry “Sonny” Walker, 97 of Randolph, MA passed away peacefully on September 12, 2022.

Sonny was born in Cambridge, MA on March 30, 1925 to Adelaide Gwendolyn Walker and Arthur Henry Ashe Sr.

Sonny’s mother moved him and his sister, Gwendolyn, to the South End where they grew up on Cunard Street.  At 10 years old, to help his single mother, Sonny began his entrepreneurial endeavors as an afternoon paperboy and weekend shoe shiner.  He also delivered groceries as a teenager. Sonny left high school at 16 to join his cousin, Bobby, in Maine and learned to weld.  He was able to send almost all his earnings to his mother and sister to make sure they were taken care of.

Sonny was inducted into the Army in July 1943 and was stationed in the Philippines as a welder.  After his discharge in 1946, he traveled the world as a Merchant Marine.  Upon arriving back in Boston, he admired a young lady from his neighborhood who would later become his wife.  Once he learned that they shared the same birthday, he told his mother that he had met his wife.  Arthur H Walker and Roberta E Debnam were married on September 10^th, 1950.  They were blessed with two children, Alan “Gerry” and Andrea.  Sonny worked as a bellhop, a tailor’s assistant, and eventually partnered with the late Charles S. Canada in a barbershop and bars and real estate. 

In 1969, with the purchase of the M & M Tavern, Sonny and Canada became the first Black Tavern owners in Boston. In 1980, they bought their 2^nd tavern, The C & S Tavern on Warren St which was eventually renamed “Sonny Walker’s”.  In 1985, they partnered with Alvester Green and purchased the block in Grove Hall, known as the Wonder Block. 

In December 2009, Sonny lost his beloved wife of 59 years.  He continued to work and keep himself busy until the age of 89 when he decided to completely retire and enjoy his family and the adventures of his two grandchildren.

Sonny was true to his name.  He didn’t drive and pretty much walked everywhere.  He would routinely walk from Mattapan to Grove Hall, from Grove Hall to Filene’s Basement and from Filene’s Basement to Roxbury.  He loved to shop for clothes and was one of the most fashionable men in the city. 

If you ask anyone, they will describe Arthur Henry “Sonny” Walker as one of the nicest, most trustworthy men you will ever meet. But mostly they will say “Sonny was a true gentleman and a Roxbury legend”!

In addition to his children, Alan “Gerry” Walker and Andrea J Walker, he leaves to mourn his passing, grandson, Aaron M. Holtzclaw, granddaughter, Aara J. Holtzclaw, friends, Mia N McIlvaine and Tonia L Lewis and the Sonny Walker’s family, He was preceded in death by his wife, Roberta E. Walker, his mother, Adelaide G. Walker, and his sister, Gwendolyn L Jefferson.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Arthur H. "Sonny" Walker, please visit our floral store.