General James Walton

General James T. Walton, U. S. Army Retired, known to his family and friends at Jim, left us on July 19, 2023.

Jim’s life began as few can claim, born near Verdun, France where his father was stationed in the Army. Only 6 weeks after he was born, he made his first of many moves around the world, when he came by boat to the United States. With his father’s military career, he lived in many places: Nebraska, Washington State, North Carolina, and Munich and Nurnberg, Germany. When his father retired from the military, they settled in Lakewood, Washington. There he attended Mann Junior High and Lakes High School. He graduated second in his class and was recruited by many prestigious universities across the country. He chose to attend the rigorous Massachusetts Institute of Technology on an Army ROTC Scholarship, where he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer Science. As a life-long avid learner, he later continued his education and attended University of California, Berkely where he earned an MBA, Management Science, The US Army War College, Master of Strategic Studies, and lastly, returned to MIT and earned his PhD in Operational Research. He spent much of his civilian life working for Boeing holding a range of positions. He also served in the Army Reserve from July 1977-August 2018. Among many incredible accomplishments during his military carrier, some of his most recognized assignments were: Commanding General of the 335th Signal Command (Forward) in Kuwait, from 2008-2010, Chief Integration Office, CIO/G-6, from 2011-2012. Then serving as Commanding General / G-6, of the 311th Signal Command (Theater), US Army Pacific based at Fort Shafter, Hawaii from 2012-2014, Lastly, he spent over 4 years in Seoul, Korea where he served as Transformation & Restationing Director, US Forces Korea. In 2012, he met and married DawnLee. They met later in life than you usually find your soulmate, but that made the meeting so much sweeter. It was Jim’s selfless kindness to others that helped convince her that he was the perfect person! Together they shared many adventures including time in Hawaii and Korea during his service in the Army. He officially retired from the military in 2018 and returned to the Washington D.C. area. Dawnlee and Jim split time around the U.S. but when COVID hit in 2020, with remote working and the local dog parks closed, they packed up all 3 greyhounds and headed south to wait for it to “blow over.”  The short time move to Georgia quickly turned into full-time. In 2021, Jim and DawnLee invested in a small farm. Jim, never one to do much in the way of hard labor, spent his time in Farm Management, while Dawnlee started raising prize winning show bunnies. As a devoted grandpa, he enjoyed spending time at his grandkids’ many baseball, football, basketball, track & field events, and the many other school functions. He was an avid runner for much of his life, amassing a rather impressive collection of retired running shoes that you Cannot Get Rid Of. Once running became a pastime for the past, he turned to walking and biking in the Georgia countryside as his leisure activity of choice. Jim was a quiet, incredibly intelligent, book-loving gentleman. He loved people and genuinely extended trust, respect, and a very caring heart to all he crossed paths with. He excelled at listening, really listening to folks and made them feel as if they were the most interesting person to whom he had talked. He had an easy friendliness about him that few can boast. Jim demonstrated an unwavering sense of duty to others and his Country; many remember him instantly as a Professional Patriot and Outstanding Leader. In addition to serving overseas, he also would volunteer to receive Fallen Soldiers at Dover AFB during the holidays so that others would not miss time with their families and those Fallen Soldiers did arrive home alone. This wonderful man was loved by many and will be missed by many more. May we all be inspired by his humility, quiet brilliance, and serving nature.

He is survived by his beloved, love of his life, wife, and best friend DawnLee, his stepdaughter Ashley DeYoung-Cox (David), grandchildren Gavin Cox, Graysen Cox, stepson Michael DeYoung, his loving sister Christine (Philip), nieces Deborah Joseph (Kevin), Susan Lucas (John), and Cathy Evans (Tyler) and great-nephews Sam Joseph, Nick Joseph, Jacob Lucas, and Michael Lucas.

A service to celebrate Jim’s life, with full military honors, will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 26, 2023, at Hillcrest Chapel. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Saturday, one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the James Walton Foundation, https://www.gofundme.com/james-dawnlee-walton-charitable-foundation

At the conclusion of the service, the family would like to extend an open invitation to attend a reception at the local VFW hall, 130 Veterans Club Road, Newnan, Georgia 30263, to celebrate Jim’s life.

Higgins Funeral Home Hillcrest Chapel is honored to serve the family of General James Walton, please visit www.hillcrestchapelcares.com to share your memories or leave a condolence message.

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