BILLY DAN WALTON was born April 5, 1930 in
Ranger, TX, passed peacefully on Feb. 16, 2021 in
Stephenville, TX, with burial in the Cross Roads
Cemetery near Ranger.
Bill attended Ranger High School in the Class of
1948 but graduated of Strawn High School where he
met his future wife Anita Marie Poydock. Their
marriage produced four sons, Bill (Patsy) of Clyde,
TX, Gary (Gay Nell) of Colbert, OK, Ken (Roberta)
of New Port Richey, FL and Mark of Fort Worth.
While he began his professional career with General
Dynamics in Fort Worth, he was most proud of his
experience at Texas Instruments in Dallas. While
he held a variety of posts at TI, his greatest
professional satisfaction came in the development
of sophisticated radar systems which were later put
into wide use by the military. At Texas Instruments,
he reached the level of Branch Manager of Field
Services & had more than 160 personnel spread
across the world as they trained our service
members to use the complex systems that TI had
developed.
His next greatest joy was his early retirement in
1982 when he and Anita retired to Ranger to be
cattle farmers. Anita passed in 1994 from
ovarian cancer.
In 1995, Bill married Patsy Smith of Gordon, TX
and they enjoyed retirement in Ranger with many
summers spent in Cloud Croft, NM.
He and Patsy retired from the cattle business
and built a home in Stephenville, TX at Legends
Country Club Golf Course where he could regularly
enjoy his recreational passion. For many years
he was either playing golf or tending to his
beloved backyard vegetable garden where he
chatted with the golfers as they passed the
house. He and Patsy were avid dancers and
attended many dances in communities all around
Stephenville.
Bill is survived by his wife Patsy, his four
sons, six grandchildren, and 11 great-grand-
children. In addition, he survived by step-
children, Beverly Elkins of Lewisville, TX,
Carrie (Gary) Wilson, of Lincoln, NM, Charlie
Elkins (decd), 10 step-grandchildren and 19
step-great-grandchildren.
BROTHER: JOHNNY JOE WALTON, 72, of
Ranger, TX passed away on July 9, 2009 at his
home, with burial at Alameda Cemetery near Ranger.
Johnny Joe was born on Feb. 21, 1937 in Gorman, TX
to Dan Rogers & Ima (Tucker) Walton. He worked in
early years as a custom plower and later until he
retired as a cowboy for the Eastland and Ranger
Sale Barns. Johnny Joe attended Leon River Cowboy
Church.
At the time of his death, Johnny Joe was survived
by his brother Billy Walton (RHS-1947) & wife Patsy
of Stephenville, nephews; Dr. William "Bill" Walton
and wife Patsy, Gary Lee Walton and wife Gay, Kenneth
Walton and Mark Alan Walton, also six great nieces
and nephews and five great-great-nieces and nephews.