Born on November 5, 1942, in Baltimore, Maryland, Orris G. Walker graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Arts in 1964 and earned a Master of Divinity from the General Theological Seminary in 1968. He was ordained to the diaconate in 1968 and to the priesthood in 1969, spending his early years of ministry serving in Baltimore and Kansas City. In 1971, he married Norma McKinney Dixon, and the couple went on to have two children, Richard Anthony and Angela Louise. Walker continued his advanced education throughout his career, earning a Doctor of Ministry from Drew University in 1980 and a Master of Arts from the University of Windsor in 1984.
In 1972, Walker became the rector at St. Matthew’s & St. Joseph’s, and from 1974 to 1976, he served as priest-in-charge of St. Alban’s in Highland Park, Michigan. He also served as the Archdeacon of Region V of the Diocese of Michigan. Alongside his local parish ministries, he dedicated significant time to the broader Episcopal Church, serving on numerous national boards, commissions, and agencies.
Walker was elected Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Long Island in November 1987, and was ordained and consecrated in April 1988. On January 5, 1991, he was officially inducted as the seventh Bishop of Long Island. His historic episcopate marked a major shift for the diocese, as he was its first Black bishop. Championing diversity and inclusion, he is famously known for ordaining the diocese's first three women priests in February 1989. Bishop Walker passed away at the age of 72 on February 28, 2015.