Ray Walton

Ray Walton, 78, Bismarck, died September 21, 2007. Services will be held at 11:00 AM Monday at Lutheran Church of the Cross with Rev. Joel Scherer officiating. Burial will be in the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery, Mandan. Visitation will begin at 6:00 PM Sunday with prayer service to be held at 7:00 PM Sunday at Eastgate Funeral Service, Bismarck. Visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church. Ray was born on September 23, 1928, in Midwest, WY, the son of Lelah Plaisance and Ray H. Walton Sr. His father was an oil field worker who returned to North Dakota shortly after Ray was born. Ray lived and attended various schools in the Minot area, graduating from Minot High School in 1946. Following graduation, he joined the US Navy and attended boot camp, followed by Naval Fire Control School in San Diego, CA. Upon completion, Ray traveled to Boston and worked as a crew member on the USS Rochester, a newly commissioned heavy cruiser. He transferred to the USS New Jersey battleship, during which time he traveled to several European ports. Following his honorable discharge from the Navy in 1948, Ray attended college at the Minot State Teacher College and later transferred to UND where he graduated from Law School in 1954. He married Bernice Anderson on August 28, 1949 in Williston. Ray and Bernice settled in Williston where he practiced law for 18 years before accepting his appointment as Chief Counsel for the ND Public Service Commission in 1972 in Bismarck. Ray retired to private practice in 1986 in Bismarck where he lived until his retirement. He received his 50 year pin from the ND State Bar Association in 2004. Ray was a member of Lutheran Church of the Cross, his law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta, a life member of the B.P.O.E., the American Legion, the ND State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Ray is survived by his wife, Bernice of Bismarck, ND; his daughters and sons-in-law, Karin Louise Walton Kenneth Hursh of Grand Forks, ND, Beth Ann Walton Tony Albright of Harshaw, WI, Jean Lynn Kelly Schafer of Bismarck, ND and Bill Jahn of Valley City, ND; sisters, Alice Stewart of Wheeling, WV, and Ruby Mortenson of Herman, MN; his grandchildren, Melissa, Kevin, Dana and Derek; and his great-grandchildren, Zayne, Zavier and Geneva. Ray was preceded in death by his daughter, Cathy Jo Jahn; his parents; three brothers; and one sister.

Ray Walton

September 23, 1928 - September 21, 2007