George Walton

George Charles Walton

January 24, 1946 – July 19, 2022

George Charles Walton, “Chuck,” was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on January 24, 1946 to Darlene Wendrich. He was adopted and raised in Monticello, Utah by William Charles and Thelma George Walton. Growing up in Monticello, he was an only child, but he was not raised alone. He was welcomed into a loving adopted home surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family. He was also blessed to have a few cherished boyhood friends who were like brothers to him: Stephen and Buckley Jensen, George Adams, and Doug Pehrson. These special friendships endured his entire life.

When George was in grade school, he contracted polio and was hospitalized and taken out of school for a year. Mrs. Jensen, Stephen and Buckley’s mother, was key in tutoring George during his absence from school. Mrs. Jensen did such a good job that not only did George not fall behind in school, but when he was ready to return, he was actually pushed ahead and skipped a full grade. Growing up, he was an avid scouter, prankster, and gifted athlete. George excelled at many sports, and his running shoes got him a track scholarship to the University of Utah to run the high hurdles – not bad for a kid who had survived polio.

George served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Southern California, Nevada, and Arizona. It was on his mission that one of his companions christened him with a new nickname – Chuck – that would stick to him for the rest of his life. While serving, he helped teach and baptize the family of John and Gladys Mull. After his mission, he returned to Southern California to court and marry Trudy Mull, daughter of John and Gladys. This marriage enlarged the love in Chuck’s life as he was welcomed with open arms into a family that involved not only Trudy and her parents, but also Trudy’s brothers, Gary and Danny, and sister, Pam. The entire Mull family loved Chuck and became great sources of friendship, support, and encouragement throughout his life. The Walton and Mull families shared many fun adventures.

Chuck transferred to Brigham Young University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Communication. He and Trudy then returned to Monticello, where they bought and operated the local KUTA Radio Station. Chuck’s dignified and clear voice was heard on the airwaves as the local DJ, weather man, and news reporter, and he also did play-by-play coverage of the Monticello High School sports teams.

Eventually, Chuck and Trudy sold the radio station and moved their young family to California. In California, Chuck worked as a computer programmer with EDS. This was back in the early 1980s, when the computer age was just dawning. During his career, he held many positions and eventually worked in management training, helping leaders grow. His employment with EDS, and later with Oracle, took him all over the country before retiring.

Together, Chuck and Trudy raised five children: Travis, Jason, Michael, Matthew, and Ashley. In his children, Chuck helped cultivate curiosity and a love of learning. His love of reading, travel, and outdoors were passed down to his children, and he cultivated many family memories along with Trudy. The family shared many fun and novel experiences: going on road trips, camping, visiting theme parks, going on historical tours, attending art exhibits, and learning about different people and cultures.

Chuck had a zest for life. He was a gifted writer, public speaker, storyteller, and teacher (taking after his mother). He loved traveling and often visited Las Vegas, with its easy proximity to Utah. In fact, he was good enough at playing Blackjack to get kicked out of and permanently banned from all the Caesars Casino properties.

In 2005, Chuck and Trudy separated and he spent the subsequent years of his life living in various places in Utah, Texas, and in Southern California, spending many of those years living with his son, Mike. He even left retirement for a while to work for his son, Jason, in Texas.

Two significant events happened during Chuck’s retired years. First, he met and developed a special friendship with Tonya Brimhall. Chuck found joy spending time with Tonya and her family. Second, Chuck was found by his birth family, the Wilson (Wendrich) family. There are no proper words to describe how life-changing this was for Chuck. Being welcomed by the Wilson family enabled him to spend his last years of life feeling a special sense of completeness.

Chuck passed away suddenly on July 19, 2022, while doing things he loved. He was on a road trip in Long Beach, California, happily enjoying time with Tonya and her family. He was a resident of Spanish Fork, Utah at the time of his passing. He is preceded in death by his son, Michael, and by his grandchildren Kyle, Andrew, and Jessica. He is survived by Trudy, his other children and their families, his Wilson family, his Mull family, his Jensen family, his Brimhall family, and by many other family members and friends.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, August 6th, 2022, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints chapel located at 3477 East River Bottom Road, Spanish Fork, Utah 84660. Viewing from 12:00pm to 12:45pm. Funeral at 1:00pm. There will be a graveside dedicatory prayer at the Spanish Fork City Cemetery following the funeral. The family encourages those attending the funeral in-person to wear face masks. We are planning to livestream the funeral services through the Nelson Family Mortuary website. If the livestream does not work then a recording of the services will be available on the mortuary website following the services.