KEYSER, W.Va. — A Mineral County teacher was killed in a car accident while on a mission trip in Guatemala earlier this month, the day before she was scheduled to return home to Keyser.
Betty Walker a teacher at Keyser Primary Middle and Fort Ashby Intermediate schools, and her husband Dwight, were working with the Casa Alelujah Orphanage serving as dorm parents. According to First Baptist Church of Keyser Pastor Jody Bean, Walker’s brother-in-law, the couple was going to get pizza for the girl’s dorm on July 1 and was making a left hand turn when they were struck by a speeding vehicle.
Betty Walker was pronounced dead at the hospital, another passenger also was killed. Walker’s husband was detained in Guatemala pending the investigation into the crash per Guatemalan laws, Pastor Bean said. He suffered minor injuries. He was in court Thursday and was hopeful he would be released.
The couple’s three sons and daughter-in-law are in Guatemala now. Pastor Bean said officials from the offices of U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito have been providing assistance. The office of the American Consulate is also involved.
Pastor Bean said the Walkers had been to the country several years in a row helping at the orphanage. He said all of the children called Mrs. Walker ‘mom.’
The Mineral County community has been incredibly supportive, according to Pastor Bean, and he wants to thank everyone for their prayers. He said more than $3,000 has been raised for the family. A fund has been set up at First Peoples Credit Union for First Baptist Church c/o Betty Walker.
A private service will be held for Betty Walker in Keyser Friday with a memorial service expected at a later date. Pastor Bean told MetroNews the couple had recently decided, after much prayer, to move to Guatemala as full-time missionaries. He said they had reached the decision the Sunday before the July 1 accident. He said they had hoped to be on the mission field full-time by early next year.