Obituaries » Tom Walton
Tom Walton
September 8, 1941 - September 26, 2023
Service Date: October 3, 2023
Tom Walton, 82, passed away Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at Arbor Springs Dementia Care Center in West Des Moines, IA.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 3, 2023, at Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Catholic Church (510 E. 1st St, Ankeny) with visitation from 9-10:30 a.m. Mass will be live streamed at www.OLIH.org.
Tom was born on September 8, 1941, in Knoxville, IA to Fred and Maxine Walton. He attended grade school in Melcher, IA and high school in Cameron, MO, graduating from Iowa Falls High School. Tom then attended college at Coe in Cedar Rapids, IA and Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, MO. He served two years in the Army spending most of his time in Germany. Following his honorable discharge, Tom went to work in Cedar Rapids where he met Mary Jane Hirtz. Tom and Mary Jane were married on January 18, 1969, in Cascade, IA. The couple made their home in Maryville where Tom finished college and where their two sons were born.
Tom was a teacher and coach at South Nodaway High School in Barnard, MO for a couple of years until they moved back to Iowa where he started his 26-year career with the Iowa National Guard. He retired in 1999 as Operations Sergeant for the Iowa Military Academy. Tom then worked for a brief time with Iowa Emergency Management.
Tom had a love of sports, especially golf, and had a few holes-in-one over the years. He was a member at Ballard Golf and Country Club and a faithful member of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Catholic Church.
Tom is survived by his wife, Mary Jane; sons, Keith (Bobbie) Walton of Ankeny and Phil (Jenny) Walton of Jenks, OK; grandchildren, Ella, Raely, and Evan of Jenks, OK; step-grandchildren, Brian John (Jessica), Joie and Marty Schmidt; his sister, Charlotte Walton of West Des Moines; brother-in-law, Jerry Holub; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Erma and Tom Swisher; as well as 10 nephews and nieces.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and a sister-in-law, Barb Holub.
The family would like to thank the staff at Arbor Springs Dementia Care including Dr. Angel, St. Croix Hospice, Dr. Benjamin with the VA Administration.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be given to the Alzheimer’s Association, Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Catholic Church, or the Autism Society of America.