WINONA, Minn. — Walken Ratajczyk, a pillar in Winona arts, died at age 80. His parents named him Kenneth, but he legally changed it to Walken after spending a year in the 1970s walking and exploring the West Coast. He felt it suited him better and because, well, he liked walking. He had wanderlust. After Vietnam-era Army duty, he spent time in New York working the World’s Fair. He had aspirations of becoming a dancer there, but Winona kept calling him home. In Winona he was a carpenter whose projects included the Julius Wilkie steamboat activities center and the Shopko retail store. With friends he built a geodesic dome house. He served on the board that established the Bluffview Montessori School. He made art glass in a home sudio and traveled to art fairs across the country. He was a folk dancer; a spiritualist, although pnt religious; and an avid reader. Friends called him a free thinker wo didn’t fit in a box. They said he was a true conversationalist, always open minded and able to listen.
Detail: Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home
1944-2025