Lumber man, Grandpa and former Jefferson County Board of Supervisor dies

Printed from the pages of the Blue Ridge Chronicle from Walton's Mountain, Virginia on February 21, 1979.  

Lumber man, Grandpa and former Jefferson County commissioner John Walton, Sr passed away from natural causes on the Walton homestead on February 13, 1979.  He was born on June 22, 1893 was the oldest child of Zebulan and Esther Walton of Walton's Mountain, Virginia.  He married Olivia by the Jefferson County justice of the peace in 1915.  He served the US Military in World War I.  He is father of four boys named John Boy (John, Jr), Jason, Ben and Jim Bob (James Robert) and three girls Mary Ellen, Erin and Elizabeth.  He did outlived his brother Ben who died in 1917 while killed in action during World War I.  He also survived his father Zebulan who died of natural causes in 1941.  His mother Esther died of natural causes in 1965 a year after Uncle John Boy's wedding.  He is survived by his wife Olivia and his children, grandchildren and great children.  He lives most of his life on the Walton homestead.  He was very well respected in his hometown of Walton's Mountain.  He has found and owned the Walton Lumber Company until he sold it Uncle Ben in the 1970's.  He served as a member of the Jefferson County board of supervisors from 1963-1969 he served two terms was very fair as a lawmaker.  He was also known along with wife Olivia to been hospitable to guest visit Walton's Mountain and was always nice to strangers.  He also loaned me the money to keep the Blue Ridge Chronicle which was started my Uncle John Boy.  I am the first born grandson of John, Sr and Olivia and son of Mary Ellen Willard.  This was a hard article to write as the publisher of the Blue Ridge Chronicle John Curtis Willard.