Bertha Ethel (Helle) Walton;
born Cuba, IL 24 Feb 1910
D 15 April 1996
Married Lewiston, IL 2 June 1928
Don Walton, son of George and Rhoda (Frew) Walton
D. August 16th 2002
BERTHA ETHEL HELLE was the first daughter born to
George Adam and Ida (Kaler) Helle after five sons. Five
younger brothers arrived before Ethel's two sisters. Having
seen her mother diaper one baby boy after another, Ethel
believed herself to be some kind of freak until she saw an aunt
diaper her baby girl.
With the rest of her brothers and sisters, Ethel attended the
Brick Fiatt School. Ethel recalls her first day of school: "Don
(one year older) and I shared a double desk. I was excitedly
waiting for the learning to start when the teacher, scaring us,
came down from her plattorm, walked over to our desK, and
broke a ruler over Don's hand. .. We never knew why she
did this but she scared us so bad that we never dared to do
anything wrong." In her book, Memories, Ethel relates many
more of her expeijences attending a one - room school; i.e.,
Italian immigrant schoolmates, a terrible "tongue disease"
which the younger children did not understand but hoped
they did not have, the joy of new books, box socials, spelling
bees, high school, scarlet fever, measles (Ida had eleven
children sick at one time), etc. Ethel did not get to complete
high school.
With so many brothers, boys were no novelty to Ethel so
when she met DON WALTON at the home of a friend, she
did not pay much attention to him. However, Don noticed
her and they were soon dating. Shortly after their engage-
ment, Ethel's family home burned down in January, 1928.
George Adam built a new home on the same foundation but
Ethel never lived in it having married before the house was
completed. She and Don set up housekeeping in an apart-
ment in his folks' upstairs. At the time of their marriage Don
worked at the P & 0 Plow Works (later IHC Co.) for thirty -
five cents an hour five and one - half days a week. Their first
son was born in Graham Ho6pital the bill being $19.00 and
the doctor bill $25.00. After three days in the hospital, Ethel
and baby were taken home by ambulance and she remained
in bed seven more days; a common practice for the time.
Ethel summarizes Don's lifetime activities thus: "He has
gone from a factory worker to a sawmill operator, a truck
driver and then back to the sawmill; a farmer on a small farm
in Illinois to a large dairy farm in Wisconsin, a mobile home
park builder in Wisconsin, a builder of houses and owner of
an orange grove in Texas, a farm back in Wisconsin again
which he later subdivided and developed, another mobile
park in Savanna, Illinois, and today our own house and ten
acres of land."
Don and Ethels two sons are:
ROBERT LEE WALTON, 16g
b. Canton, IL; 6 Aug. 1929
R AY GEORGE WALTON, 16g
ROBERT LEE WALTON, 16g (Ethel HelIe 15, George A.
14, Frederick 13)
b. Canton, IL; 6 Aug. 1929
m. Princeton, IL; 22 Oct. 1950
DORIS ELAINE NORENE, daughter of Arthur
and Esther Frances (Johnson) Norene
b. Princeton, IL; 30 July 1930
Bob and Doris are the parents of:
SUSAN ELAINE WALTON, 17g
b. Anniston, AL; 18 July 1951
GARY ROBERT WALTON, 17g
b. Princeton, IL; 27 Nov. 1953
KENNETH REID WALTON, 17g
b. Princeton, IL: 7 Feb. 1957
KAY ELLEN WALTON, 17g
b. Princeton, IL; 10 Apr. 1959
SUSAN ELAINE WALTON, 17g (Robert 16, Ethel Helle
15, George A. 14, Frederick 13)
b. Anniston, AL; 18 July 1951
m. Delphi, IN; 15 Sep. 1973
DONALD LEE YAKE
b. Bluffton. IN; 8 July 1949
Susan and Don are the parents of
Melinda Elaine Yake, 18g
b. Bluffton. IN; 20 Sep. 1975
MARTIN LEWIS YAKE, 18g
b. Bluffton, IN; 16 Feb. 1978
GARY ROBERT WALTON, 17g (Robert 16, Ethel Helle
15, George A. 14, Frederick 13)
b. Princeton, IL: 27 Nov. 1953
m. Leesburg, IN; 1 June 1974
BRENDA SUE BAST, daughter of James
Christoph and Barbara Ellen (Hepler) Bast
Gary and Brenda are the parents of:
MATTHEW THOMAS WALTON, 18g
b. Wabash, IN: 12 May 1977
MARK ADAM WALTON, l8g
b. LaFayette, IN; 13 May 1978
KENNETH REID WALTON, 17g (Robert 16, Ethel WI
15, George A. 14, Frederick 13)
b. Princeton, IL; 7 Feb. 1957
m. Hobart, IN; 30 Jan. 1982
KATHRYN WINTER, daughter of Alan S. a.
Jacqueline (Campbell) Winter
b. Hobart, IN; 30 Jan. 1982
Kenneth and Kathryn are the parents of:
ALECIA KAY WALTON, 18g
b. LaFayette, IN; 29 May 1983
KAY ELLEN WALTON, 17g (Robert 16, Ethel I
George A. 14, Frederick 13)
b. Princeton, IL; 10 Apr. 1959
m. Delphi, IN; United Methodist Church: 15
1978
KEVIN PAUL ROSS, son of Robert (cn
Mary Lee (Richter) Ross
b. Logansport, IN; 28 Jan. 1956
KAY ELLEN WALTON graduated from Purdue
sity in 1980 and is a registered nurse. She married
PAUL ROSS who graduated from Purdue Universit'
with a B.A. in Agriculture Economics. He now fai
ing hogs and grain. They are the parents of:
KYLA NORENE ROSS, 18g
b. LaFayette, IN; 18 Dec. 1981
KORY ROBERT ROSS, 18g
b. LaFayette, IN~ 23 Dec. 1983
RAY GEORGE WALTON, 16g (Ethel Helle 15
A. 14, Frederick 13)
b. Mossville, IL; Sep. 1932
m. Fort Atkinson, WI; 3 Apr. 1953
RUTH PARSONS, daughter of William M.
Mae E. (Ralph) Parsons
b. Ft. Atkinson, WI; Apr. 1935
Ray and Ruth are the parents of four children:
ROGER WALTON, 17g
b. Ft. Atkinson, WI; Oct. 1955
RITA RAE WALTON, I 7g
b. Ft. Atkinson, WI; Sep. 1957
Russell Walton, 17g
b. Ft Atkinson, Wi , Aug 190
Ross Walton, 17g
b. Ft Atkinson, Wi, Nov 1964
Rita Rae Walton 17g (Ray 16, Ethel Helle 15, George A 14, Frederick 13)
b. Ft Atkinson Sept 1957
m. Whitewater, WI 17 June 1978
Raymond J Welter, son of Raymond and Suzanne (Zimmerman) Welter
b. Ft Atkinson, WI Oct 1954
Rita and Raymond are the parents of
Wyatt Don Welter, 18g
b. Janesville, WI Feb 1982
