Bill Walden

Willis Ralph (Bill) Walden was 95 years old when he passed away at Grandbrook Memory Care nursing home in Grapevine, Texas. He was born at Drayton, N. Dak. on September 26, 1924 to Esther and Milton Walden. He graduated from Drayton schools and at age 17, he joined the Navy. From 1941 to 1945, he was a fighter pilot, flying from aircraft carriers in the Pacific. He returned home after the war and enrolled at the University of North Dakota. He and Verna Hedman married on September 9, 1949 and lived in Grand Forks until Bill graduated from the university.

They moved to Minneapolis where he worked for Northwest Airlines for a year before being hired by Delta Airlines. They moved to Atlanta where Bill received training on several aircraft during the following years. In 1952 they moved to New Orleans and Bill flew most of his trips to islands in the Caribbean and to South America. Their son Wade Harland Walden was born on October 17, 1954. They transferred to Chicago in 1962 and lived there until 1979 when Bill elected to move to Dallas, Texas in order to fly Delta routes to Germany and England. At that time, airline pilots were required to retire at age 60, so in 1981, he finished his 33 years with Delta.

For the next 30 years, he was busy with his computer, enjoying a lot of work for business and pleasure. Two of his nieces kept up frequent e-mail correspondence with him. Faye Roberson in Crestline, Calif. and Tami Egeland in Grafton, N. Dak.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, grandmother, Nina Devlin, brother Cecil (Sharon) Walden and sister Harriett (Bob) Cook, Uncles Willis (Dot) Devlin and Ralph Devlin, Aunts Ruth (Wilbur) Hoselton and Mary (Leslie) Bates and Cousin Ruthann Bates Jorde.

He is survived by his wife, Verna Walden, son Wade Walden, daughter-in-law Charmaine Walden and two granddaughters, Dr. Lauren Walden and Alexandra Walden. He is also survived by two nieces, two nephews, a Cousin Cathryn Wilkinson and the two cousins he grew up with – Margaret Torrey and Donald Bates. The members of his immediate family live in the Dallas area.