George T. “Tom” Walton passed away October 29, 2022 in Plano, Texas at the age of 80. He was born on September 23, 1942 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
His parents Mary M. and Simeon M. Walton moved to St. Pete from Kentucky in 1939. Tom’s father died of a brain tumor in the Navy in 1944. Tom and his sister Miriam, two years his senior, were raised and had a happy childhood by their mother. Mrs. Walton passed away in 1994. After graduating from Bishop Harry High School in 1960, Tom attended the University of Florida after a stint in the Air Force from 1966 to 1969. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering in 1970. He went to work for the City of Dallas, Texas in April 1970 to learn how to be a Traffic Engineer. Tom met the love of his life and his future bride Mary Lee Kemendo in May of 1970 and together they worked on their masters degrees until she received her Master of Liberal Arts from SMU and he received his Master of Science in Civil Engineering from UTA in June of that year. The couple were married on June 29, 1973. In July of 1974 Tom went to work for the City of Plano, and for the next 25 + years he had the pleasure of helping build the city as it’s Traffic and Transportation Engineer. The town grew from a population of 37,000 to over 200,000 during Tom’s stay.
Tom was a registered professional traffic engineer in the state of Texas since 1975. During most of his professional career he was an active member of both the National Engineers and the Institute of Transportation Engineers, ultimately achieving “Life Member” status in each organization. He became a third-degree member of the Knights of Columbus in 1969 while in the Air Force but was inactive for many years. In 2000 he became an active member of Council 6065 and then in 2011 transferred to Council 7850 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church.
Tom retired from full time work on January 31, 2000. He was technically retired but worked as a Traffic Engineering Consultant for many local towns and cities for the next 30 years. His most regular activities soon became taking over the cooking duties at home, volunteering at the Medical Center of Plano on Tuesday afternoons and all day Friday and riding his bike on the hike and bike trail 4 to 5 days a week. The Waltons enjoyed traveling all over the world both before and after Tom’s retirement.
Tom is survived by his wife of 49 years, Mary Lee; sister, Miriam L. Jamison; niece, Michele Jamison; and nephews, Steven and Alan Jamison.
A memorial mass will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Plano, Texas.