Ronald “Bruce” Walton passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on October 8, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia, at the age of 73. Bruce is survived by his mother, Emma Lee Walton; his children, Angela Bruce and Erik Walton; his brother, Brian Walton, and his grandchildren, Lillian Bruce, Nathan Walton, and Jennah Walton. He was preceded in death by his father, James Lee Walton; his older brother, James “Jimmy” Walton, and his grandson, Cannon Lee Bruce.
Bruce was born on November 12, 1950, although if you ask his mother, it was November 13. He graduated from Highland Springs High School in 1969 and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in 1976. He was married to Myra Cannon, with whom he raised Angela Bruce and Rebecca Agnew, with whom he raised Erik Walton. He was proud of his service in the Marine Corps, as well as his work at Radio Communications. He worked at Philip Morris as an electronics technician for almost 30 years and enjoyed the last two decades happily retired in Varina, Virginia.
He is remembered as being a wonderful father and grandfather, as well as an excellent friend. He was generous with his time and expertise, and loved nothing more than to figure out how to solve a problem, followed by a celebration afterwards.
Bruce enjoyed canoeing, fishing, bike riding with RABA, horticulture, and simply being outside among nature. He loved photography and art, and often spent his free time creating his own art through wood-working. He was also an amateur history buff, and loved living near one of the local historical sites in the area and visiting the museums in town. When he would finally settle down from his various tasks and chores, Bruce relaxed by listening to his eclectic library of music with his beautiful striped feral-turned-domesticated cat, simply known as “Kitty.”
The celebration of Bruce’s life is scheduled for November 10 at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, Virginia. It will begin at 2 p.m. and run until 4 in the Robins Room. All family and friends are welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the William A. Harrison Jr. Foundation to promote local animal welfare: https://wahjf.org/donate/. The family would like to thank the VCU Medical Center Critical Care Team for helping Bruce through his final weeks, as well as Affinity Funeral Services for assisting with his final rest.