Sheridan County native Walter Edward Upton, 86, died Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010, at Mesilla Valley Hospice in Las Cruces, N.M., after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, according to family.

A memorial service was Jan. 29 at Assisted Living Center of the Good Samaritan Retirement Village in Las Cruces. Arrangements were with Getz Funeral Home in Las Cruces.

Born Oct. 19, 1923, in Kleenburn, he graduated from Sheridan High School in 1942 and was vice president of his class.

He served as a Navy pilot during World War II, completing initial training in Monmouth, Ill., and receiving his wings at the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas. He served at two air bases in Florida.

When the war ended in 1945, he returned to Sheridan, marrying Jo Elaine Howard in 1947.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting from Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill., in 1949, later completing a certified public accounting degree through Northwestern's night school in Chicago.

He was an accountancy manager with Montgomery Ward starting in 1949. He moved several times with the company, living in Oakland, Calif., for several years and returning to the company's home offices in Chicago until retirement in 1982.

He moved in 1983 to Las Cruces, where he opened a consulting firm that he managed until his second retirement in 1993.

He enjoyed golf and was especially proud of his two holes-in-one at Picacho Hills County Club Golf Course in Las Cruces.

Survivors include his wife; a son, Gregg Andrew Upton; a daughter, Kristine Lynn Diamond; and a grandson.

The Sheridan Press - February 12, 2010.