Business

Friends honor flower shop owner, Edneyville '68

Among the guests of Walker (second from left) were Edneyville High School classmates Velma Kenyon, Diane Jones and girls basketball coach Ellis Lyda, who coached the undefeated Lady Yellow Jackets from 1964 to 1968.

By Bill Moss, Published: February 10, 2014

A crowd of longtime friends turned out recently for a surprise retirement party for Sandra Walker, who is closing her Southern Traditions flower shop on Seventh Avenue and moving a scaled-down version to a shop at her home.

Among the guests at the party on Feb. 1 at the VFW Lodge were Edneyville High School classmates Velma Kenyon, Diane Jones and girls basketball coach Ellis Lyda, who coached the undefeated Lady Yellow Jackets from 1964 to 1968. Players on the squad included Walker and Kenyon; Jones was a cheerleader.
"I didn't know anything about girls basketball," said Lyda, 82. "What I learned I learned from them. They made me look good. We won the county championship every year. They were something like 42-0 in the conference."
Walker's daughter, Stephanie, organized the party. Walker said she was amazed at the turnout of so many old friends, including those from the Class of '68.
"Most of us started Grade 1 together and we've been friends all our lives," she said. "It was a very close class."