Reaford Jack Walker II

Reaford Jack Walker, II, 75, was born on October 1, 1950 and died peacefully on December 29, 2025, at Valley Center, after a long illness. He was a 1968 graduate of Stonewall Jackson High School, and attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. He was an accomplished artist and masterful sign painter, who used his talents as owner of Reaford Signs for forty years. His sign shop served the community of Kanawha County and beyond, doing work as far as Pennsylvania and Virginia. His art can be admired to this day, including several murals still displayed locally in Charleston, WV. Reaford was trained to hand-paint traditional signs by his friend and mentor, Mr. Cole while working at his own father’s sign shop, Walker Signs. When founding Reaford Signs on his own, he soon became known for hand lettering store-front windows and yard signs, as well as the offices of WV state senators, representatives, and staff using enamel paint and beautiful gold-leaf. He always wore his iconic collared white shirt and bow-tie when on the job. Eventually, he expanded the business to include electric sign manufacturing and installation, vinyl lettering, neon production, and routine service work. Reaford manufactured and installed the Coal Heritage Museum sign in Madison, The Charleston Light Opera Guild sign in Charleston, and the large cross at Calvary Baptist Church facing I-77. He hand crafted custom signs and painted murals for the Charleston Town Center Mall, Fazio's, and The Charleston Civic Center along with countless other projects for the local community. He installed large-scale signs like Gander Mountain and did service contracts for Walmart, The UPS, and many other chain and local businesses. Reaford also participated in the Charleston Beautification project by painting a mural of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry upon a support pillar of the I-64 bridge in downtown Charleston. The following year Reaford was one of only a few artists asked to paint a second mural, and he crafted a piece commemorating the folk hero John Henry. Both murals can still be viewed when entering town. He painted many works of his own as well. Most often using sign paint enamel, which dries much faster than traditional oils giving his work an original look and feel. His family and pets were featured in much of his work. He entered a sweeping, panoramic triptych-style painting of the ‘Battle of the Pelennor Fields’ that featured his late wife, Nancy Rose, as Éowyn landing the fatal blow to the Witch King of Angmar as its centerpiece, into a Lord of the Rings art contest, winning 1st place. He started the painting on Christmas Day and completed it exactly one year later on the following Christmas Day. Reaford loved stories where the underdog succeeds against seemingly impossible odds, classic gangster movies with ‘The Godfather’ being at the top, and epic fantasy stories. ‘The Lord of the Rings’ books and movies were his greatest inspiration and passion in his later life, and naturally was the focus in much of his personal artistic endeavors. He loved the idea of a small group bound by purpose and love, against all odds, coming out on top in the end when all appeared to be lost. He was preceded in death by his wife, Nancy Rose Blevins Walker, his mother and father, Doris and Jack Walker, and his two brothers, Rick and Scott Walker. Left to cherish his memories are his son, Abel Walker, his daughter and son in law, AmberRose and Michael Bevins, and his sister, Dottie Hess. "Death is just another path, one that we all must take."- Gandalf Please join us at the Valley Park Large Shelter #6, 1 Valley Park Drive, Hurricane WV 25226 on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. to remember Reaford and celebrate his life

Reaford Jack Walker II

October 1, 1950 - December 29, 2025