Wayne Keith Walton

BURLESON -- Wayne Keith Walton, beloved husband, father and grandfather, died Saturday, June 3, 2006, at a local hospital. Memorials: Wayne's memories of the men of the 501st never left him. To honor him and his lifelong commitment to his "band of brothers," we ask that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to our newest generation of American heroes through the Wounded Warrior Project, Box 758517, Topeka, Kan. 66675-8517, www.woundedwarriorproject.org Wayne Walton was born to William and Beulah Walton on Aug. 1, 1920, in a farmhouse in Cowley County, Kan. He was the youngest of six children. Like many of his generation, he traveled west to California in the late 1930s to find work. There he met his "beautiful girl," Faustina McAnally, and they married June 5, 1943, while he was on furlough from the Army. A few months later he was on his way to England with the 101st Airborne Division as a combat medic, tending to the wounded in Normandy, Holland and during the Battle of the Bulge. The soldiers of the 501st Regiment received many military honors, including two Presidential Distinguished Unit Citations for their actions in Normandy and Bastogne. Wayne was also awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart. Over the next 40 years Wayne worked in the shoe and boot business, and he and his family lived in California, Nevada, Kansas and Nebraska. Upon retirement, Wayne and Tina moved to Rogers, Ark. For the past five years, the couple have resided in Burleson. Survivors: Wife of 64 years, Faustina; children, Rex Walton and wife, Joy, of Lincoln, Neb., Chris Lanman and husband, Jack, of Burleson and Keith Walton of Chadron, Neb.; grandchildren, Anthony and Andrew Lanman, Tina Boilesen, Amanda Henderson, Jo Renee Tupper and Jeff Folsom; and numerous great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.