Llewellyn Scott Walker, the father of Gov. Scott Walker and a well-known preacher who helped shape his son's views of faith and family, died Sunday.

"Sorry to share that my father Rev. Llewelyn Scott Walker died this morning," Walker said in a tweet Sunday. "Happy to know that he is now with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

The family crisis comes amid a highly competitive re-election campaign for Walker, a Republican, in which he's trying to fend off a challenge from state schools Superintendent Tony Evers, a Democrat.

Evers tweeted his condolences to the governor Sunday morning: "I know how hard it is to lose a parent, and we are thinking of you and your entire family."

Walker's campaign spokesperson said the governor canceled events late Saturday and on Sunday to be with his father and family. The governor's schedule for Monday is uncertain.

Llewellyn Walker died following a number of medical issues. As of Saturday evening, the governor tweeted that his father was doing "a bit better" and that his mother was "touched by all of the prayers."

Twelve hours later, Walker posted a final update about his dad along with a famous verse from the Bible book 2 Corinthians: "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."

Llewellyn believed in faith and family

The Rev. Llewellyn Walker served as the pastor of the First Baptist Church in Plainfield, Iowa, and he and his family lived in the parsonage next door. The elder Walker often talked up local politics and politicians at the dinner table, which Scott Walker has cited as major influences on his life and career path.

Gov. Walker's folksy mix of faith and politics has long resonated with evangelical Christian voters.

In 1977, Llewellyn Walker moved his family to Wisconsin to take the helm of the First Baptist Church in Delavan.

Three years later, Scott Walker made his first public profession of faith there, he told the Journal Sentinel in previous interviews.

"I said, 'Lord, I'm ready.' ... I'm ready to say — not just in front of my church, in front of the world — but I most importantly say at the foot of your throne that I'm ready to follow you each and every day," Scott Walker said.

Llewellyn Walker is survived by his his wife, Patricia; the governor and the governor's wife, Tonette; the governor's brother, David; and grandchildren.

Erin Richards can be contacted at (414) 224-2705 or erin.richards@jrn.com or @emrichards on Twitter.

Bill Glauber, Dan Bice and Annysa Johnson contributed to this story.