John Nolan Walton

John Nolan Walton entered eternal rest Monday morning, July 13, 2015. Mr. Walton was born on December 28, 1943 in Schertz, Texas. He is preceded in death by his mother Odessa Walton and father Nolan Walton. During his life John was family to few but a dear friend to all. Mr. Walton will be remembered for dedicating his life to education and the proliferation of music in society’s youth. During his thirty eight year teaching career, Mr. Walton influenced the lives of many young musical artists and encouraged all his students to blossom to their potential.

John served for four years in the United States Army after attending the Navy School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia, where he continued his tuba performance studies. John attended Texas A&I (now A&M – Kingsville) and received his Bachelor’s degree in Music Education. He continued with post-graduate studies, also receiving a Master’s Degree from A&I in Education. Mr. Walton taught in Beeville ISD, Industrial ISD, Taft ISD, and San Antonio ISD, in Texas prior to his retirement. During his time with San Antonio Independent School District, Walton was a key figure in the development and designing of all the multi-million dollar Fine Arts Buildings that provided state of the art classrooms and rehearsal facilities to all eight high schools located in the inner city.

Among his many accolades he was an original founding member of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, where he served as Principal Tuba for over a decade. His contributions to the community and involvement with non-profit musical organizations speak volumes for his dedication and passion for performance. Mr. Walton was a familiar face at events such as Tuba Christmas, and performances with the San Antonio Municipal Band and The Heart of Texas Concert Band during his playing years. As a professional, Mr. Walton was a member of the Texas Music Educators Association, Texas Bandmasters Association, Texas Adjudicators Association, and honored by San Antonio Independent School District with the “Friend of Education Award’ in 2008. He was a mentor to many young band directors and students. For those who knew John, he may have shown his collection of antique sheet music printed on vellum (calf skin), his collection of art, and perhaps his collection of antique tubas. His rare collection of sheet music will be donated to a University, and his collection of tuba figurines will be donated to a museum.

John has been a member of Schertz United Methodist Church since 1954. Services will be held at Schertz United Methodist Church on Thursday July 16. Visitation will commence at 1:30 p.m. with a memorial service beginning at 2 p.m. with Reverend Linda Montgomery presiding. The location is 3460 Roy Richard Drive, Schertz, TX, 78154. Memorial donations may be made to Schertz United Methodist Church Sanctuary Fund.