Dennis Walton

Dennis Walton, 80, of Grinnell, died Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023, at Taylor Hospice House in Des Moines.

A funeral service will take place at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Grinnell. A reception will follow the service at the church. Burial with military honors will take place at 2 p.m. at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery in Eldora.

Visitation will take place prior to the service at St. Mary in Grinnell Friday and will begin at 9 a.m.

Memorials may be designated to St. Mary Catholic Church and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home and Crematory, P.O. Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with Dennis’ family online. 

Dennis Gene Walton was born the son of Orval Adra Walton and Minnie (Eckhoff) Walton May 6,1943 in Marshalltown. He was raised in Marshalltown until 1953 and then moved onto the family farm near Whitten. He graduated from Union-Whitten High School with the class of 1961. He attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

Dennis was united in marriage to Connie Jean Long at St. Mary Catholic Church in Eldora Aug. 17, 1963. He proudly served in the United States Air Force and the couple lived in England from 1966 until 1969. Dennis was Staff Sergeant of an aircraft munitions load crew in the 492nd Tactical Fighter Squadron based out of RAF Lakenheath, England. Following Dennis’ honorable discharge from the Air Force, the couple moved to Grinnell and he began working at Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company. The couple was blessed with two sons: Derek and Darren. In 1983, he joined Grinnell Insurance Agency, Inc. and retired in 2013. He was a long-time member of the Grinnell Lions Club and the Grinnell Knights of Columbus.

Dennis and Connie were members of St. Mary Catholic Church in Grinnell. They enjoyed wintering in Arizona and spending time with their grandchildren. He enjoyed annual fishing trips to Canada, taking cross-country trips on his BMW motorcycles and spending time with friends and family. He will be remembered for his advice, kindness and leadership. 

Dennis is survived by his sons, Derek (Angie) Walton, of Farmington, and their children: Zachary and Luke, and Darren (Stacy) Walton, of Grinnell, and their children, Nina and Libby; as well as his sister, Norma (Gary) Miler, of Columbia, South Carolina. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Connie in 2019 and his brother, Dale Walton in 1994.