Heathie Bar Walton

Everyone’s life is the sum total of all of the people they have met, the things they have done, the places they have gone. Heathie Bar Walton, Nor Las or if you knew him by his Aztec Indian name, Heathipochli, was no exception. He was a loved one, a friend, and someone special. To family and friends who knew him best, Heathie will be remembered as a very exceptional person. He was funny, caring, and spoiled. He was like a trick can of jelly beans; you never knew what to expect from him. Heathie made decisions based off of what he felt in his heart and always had a plan that never worked.

Heathie’s life journey began on October 2, 1993. He first greeted the world at UMC Hospital in Las Vegas, Nevada. His parents' names were Galen and Patricia. He loved his parents very much and they will always remember his love for them. He grew up in North Town and he became the “owner” of Tonopah Street. Growing up for Heathie was an involving experience. It allowed him to learn and grow and create all kinds of memories. In the winter of 2008, Heathie was dared by Ashley to jog naked, with only a headband and shoes on. He ran around the block at midnight laughing all the way home.

A lot of what shaped Heathie’s life was how he was raised. He was raised with seven siblings, Carol, Mark, Patty, Matthew, Ashley, Howard and Tony. Heathie and his siblings would argue a lot, but he never did anything to one of them because then they would all jump on him and hit him like a bunch of monkeys. Heathie was usually involved in all sorts of activities with his siblings. He and his siblings experienced the typical rivalries of a growing family, but they shared many life experiences over the years. One time, Matt and Roxanna were fighting outside in the middle of the night. Heathie came out in his boxers, stared at Roxanna for a minute and then told Matt, “Hey Dawg, let’s go streaking around the block.” He went inside to put on his shoes, but he fell asleep instead.

Heathie's grandparents were Joseph and Juanita Ornelas. Heathie was fond of his grandpa and wanted to cut his hair like his. At the time, Raymond was shaving his hair on top of his head, so Heathie ended up looking like an old man and he was only 5 years old. Heathie fondly recalled San Andreas and playing cards or Dominoes with his family. He also liked playing basketball and he liked going with his Uncle Dave to shoot rifles. Once, Heathie and Wicked were at Marisa, Wicked’s sister’s house, and Patricia wanted them to come home. Carol and James were in the neighborhood around the corner, so they were asked to pick them up. When they got there, Heathie hid in the closet and Wicked had to come home without him.

As a young boy, Heathie had a number of interests. He was curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Heathie grew up in North Las Vegas in a house on Tonopah Street. Heathie was an active child who enjoyed a number of different activities, including soccer. He was known to run as fast as a Mustang. He was also active in various groups and organizations, such as Bandits Soccer and T-Ball Club which he started when he was 4 years old. A number of things caught his interest. When it came to playtime, Heathie enjoyed video games, roller blading, riding bikes, soccer and catching big black beetles. On James’ 4th birthday, Tony, Ashley, Manny, Robert, Anthony, Jessie and Patty were all having a swimming party. All the boys snuck down the slide and Heathie was the last one. Robert, Manny and Tony dared him to come down the slide because he was too big to fit, so he did. He jumped down the slide and it went flat. He told Mark it wasn’t his weight it was his toenails.

Reading was often a favorite pastime for him, with some of his favorites being Twilight, The Birth and Death of Stars and any adult magazine. cards and calling Kim Kardashian on her 1-800 hotline.

In school, Heathie learned many things and made many friends. He attended Tom Williams Elementary School and Von-Tobel Middle School. Heathie managed to accomplish many things as a child, both in and out of the classroom. He has lots of awards for playing soccer and T-Ball with his Uncle Anthony. However, to Heathie, the most fun to be had was simply playing and spending time with his friends. His special friends growing up were Chris, Joseph and David and he was always getting them in trouble. Heathie had other types of friends as a child, including his dog, Pork Chop and his cat, Pisser. He liked carrying his cat, wrapped up in a sock in a shoe box. In all, Heathie grew up surrounded by family and friends who cared about him very much.

Many things change when a person becomes old enough to go to high school; Heathie was no different. He was a typical teenager who had a fairly happy high school experience, making that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He attended Shadow Ridge High School. One day, Tony told Heathie and Ashley to help him get out of going to school. So they told Tony to mix milk and hot sauce and then jump up and down. Tony did and had diarrhea for two days.

The teen years weren’t only about school, though. When Heathie and his friends got together, they would go to Heathie's house and hang. Heathie also enjoyed other social aspects of his high school years. Heathie was known to date any girl who was breathing. Once in the summertime, Heath and Patty were at a friend’s house waiting for a ride home and decided they were going to walk instead. They were walking down this long street with a brick wall and they got tired of walking, as it was 108 degrees outside, so they decided to jump the six foot brick wall to get to the other side. Heath boosted Patty up on the fence, but she couldn’t jump down off to the other side.

Heathie learned a lot about responsibility back then. He first entered the work force when he got a job installing carpet and marble or fixing walls. This came in handy when Tony broke Patricia’s bedroom door. Heathie said he would take care of it, and told her not to worry. Over the next couple of days, Heathie switched all the doors around. He took them off the hinges and moved them to different doorways. The last door he removed was the laundry room door because he was going to put it on his bedroom doorway. It took him half an hour and he finally got the door on but when he closed the door it was 5 inches shorter with a huge gap in the doorway. It was hilarious!

There were other types of responsibility as well. Heath had a gold 1993 Thunderbird with dark tint on the windows. Heathie also did a bit of traveling during his high school years. He traveled up to Northern Nevada, to an Indian Pow Wow and a Sweat Lodge with his friend, Andy. He also went swimming in Lake Tahoe, California with his sister, Carol. Heathie was playing “The Creature from the Blue Lagoon.” He put plants from the river at Willow Beach all over him and chased the kids. They screamed and cried and so did everyone else because he smelled so bad from the plants. This was one of the best days during the summer of 2010 for us.

A person's hobbies often mirror who they have become. Heathie enjoyed his leisure time by taking part in a number of different activities, including kicking it with his friends, driving to North Town, playing cards and calling Kim Kardashian on her 1-800 hotline. Reading was often a favorite pastime for him, with some of his favorites being Twilight, The Birth and Death of Stars and any adult magazine.

. He was usually willing to share his interests with others. Like all people, Heathie had his favorite things in life.

When it came to entertainment, Heathie enjoyed a number of different things. His favorite TV shows were Locked up, Cops, and anything on the Speed Channel, like racing. His favorite movie was Gone in 60 Seconds. He listened to Brother Lynch, Black & Yellow, Chicago Rap, Street Fuego. He also enjoyed good food and drink, such as Coca-Cola, pizza, tacos, Raymond Mom Beans, Snickers, Reese’s Ice Cream, and seafood, especially shrimp. Heathie enjoyed sports and athletics such as soccer and basketball.

A person’s faith says a great deal about them. Some people are raised with strong beliefs while others garner them throughout their life. Heathie’s faith was important to him. His church was St. Christopher on Bruce Street.

Heathie Walton left us on April 21, 2011. He passed away in North Las Vegas. He was 17½ years old. He was preceded in death by his father, Howard Galen Walton. He is survived by his mother, Patricia and his brother and sisters. Services were handled by Palm Northwest Mortuary & Cemetery.

Raymond gave Heath a saying when he was a young teenager, “Fake it till you make it.” He took off on that phrase and said it all the time. One time he came up on a dirt bike that he got from Chris Lewis. He never rode or even drove anything in his life but he was determined to be the “$h!t” on the block. The first time he drove he wanted to look good. Then he ran into a problem or two, the clutch and shifting gears. He would try, try, try, try, try but all it did was bog down and shut off. For 3 days in a row, he was out on his front lawn using every curse word he knew of. He finally got tired of watching him, so he jumped on the bike, put the clutch into first gear and took off out of the gate, into the street. Heathie ran as fast as he could after him, yelling at the top of his lungs, “What did you do!” He could have taught him 3 days earlier but he had to “fake it till you make it.” Anybody that knows Heathie knows that everything in life is a fun challenge, a test and sometimes a game that you face head on.

So this is Heathie’s life, the sum of the man that he was becoming. Simply stated, Heathie was a good and kind person, an individual who will for all time be remembered by his family and friends as being caring and giving, someone who was a vital part of their lives. Heathie leaves behind him a legacy of lifelong friendships and many cherished memories. Everyone whose life Heathie Bar Walton touched will always remember him with a smile.

Arrangements under the direction of Palm Northwest Mortuary, Las Vegas, NV.