After a brief battle with pneumonia, on November 6, the angels led Hilton Walker through the gate to be with his beloved Mary Anne.
Born March 12, 1929 in Crowell, Texas, Hilton grew up in a number of small towns across West Texas. The second oldest of four sons, Hilton never got a chance to finish high school, as was common during the Great Depression, but instead had to go to work in the cotton and onion fields to help support his family, including his four sisters Dena, Georgia, Ima and Nellie. He later learned carpentry, and became quite skilled at it, working as a carpenter across the Western U.S. Though he never was taught to read music, Hilton taught himself to play fiddle and became quite accomplished. He played country music with his three brothers Fred, Connie and Tevis, along with their friends Kenneth Seal and Bill Jackson in a band called The Texas Drifters. It was at one of their performances in Ruidoso, New Mexico, that Hilton met the love of his life, Mary Anne Hiatt. They were married in Ruidoso on October 1, 1956, and remained happily married until Mary Anne passed away in 2010.
Hilton, Mary Anne and their four children moved to Moab in 1972, and Hilton worked as a heavy equipment operator at the Texasgulf, Inc., Potash mine (now Intrepid Potash). He was a member of the Moab Church of Christ. Hilton enjoyed sightseeing in the area, and he and Mary Anne celebrated their anniversary at Oowah Lake in the La Sal Mountains each year so they could enjoy the golden aspens of autumn.
He was preceded in death by his parents Fred, Sr. and Annie; his brothers Fred, Jr. and Connie; his oldest sister Dena; his beloved wife Mary Anne and the oldest of his two sons (Robert).
Hilton is survived by his son Joe; his daughters Mary and Martha; and his two granddaughters, Stephanie and Deanna, all living in Moab.
Funeral services were held on Thursday, November 12, at 11 a.m. at the Moab Church of Christ. Interment will follow at the Sunset Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.SpanishValleyMortuary.com.
