No life starts at the beginning, and so it is with Betty Marie Walton. A visit from an apostle of the Lord, Jesus Christ, a blessing and promise made, Viola Ruth Larsen and Heber John Walton were blessed with a second daughter. Nine others would die at birth. She was born in San Pedro, California where the family lived in Lomita, California. Betty and her family moved from California to New Harmony, Utah in 1935, where she attended grammar school. Betty made friends easily and remained friends for a lifetime. She had three girlfriends: Olga Taylor, Maureen Prince and Barbara Pace. Betty was given a horse she called "Nancy". She and Barbara, with her horse named "Tinkerbell", would ride up in the mountains for hours. Hard times fell upon the family and grandpa obtained work in St. George, Utah where he would travel to and return on the weekends. World War II broke out in 1941 and grandpa found better employment at Hill Air Force Base at Clearfield, Utah. The family moved to Salt Lake City in 1942, and later built a new home on "T" street up in the Avenues of the city. Betty graduated from Bryan Jr. High and later East High School in 1947. She got her first job as a nurse's aide at Primary Children's Hospital. Betty's cousin Ruth introduced her to her stepson James Walter Fitzgerald. It was "love at first sight". Walter had just returned from Japan and was working on his family's dairy farm. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for time and all eternity by Benjamin Bowring on 18 August 1948. They honeymooned to Yellowstone and then went back to the dairy farm. Opportunities and fortune would take Betty and her family to Star Valley, Wyoming and later to Montana, and then Shelton, Washington, and back to Utah. Betty devoted her life to her family. Her youngest son John Printess had a difficult birth and would suffer cerebral palsy for his entire life. Betty was his champion and cared for him day and night. Her devotion to family earned her the nickname of "Our Angel Mother". She gave 26 years of constant care for Printess and spent her time watching over her children as they grew and left the nest. She also supported her husband in all his entrepreneurial endeavors. The city of Eagle Mountain, Utah owes a debt of gratitude to Betty for her generosity in providing water in the desert. She and Walter built the very first home on the east side of Cedar Valley. Her water rights provided the much-needed resource to build a great city. At the passing of her husband and two sons Betty began a new life of dedication and devotion. She served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Arkansas Little Rock Mission. Upon returning from her mission, she moved to St. George, Utah to serve in the Temple. It was there that she met Lloyd Dalton. A quick courtship ensued with marriage for time in the South Jordan Temple on 14 February 1996. Betty enjoyed 16 years with Lloyd during which time they traveled to see the United States, much of the time for genealogy research. Betty learned how to write family history(s) and build family tree charts to share with her children. She loved gathering together for family reunions and seeing all her posterity. Betty was preceded in death by her parents; her husbands; her two sons Wally and John Printess; and one daughter Joan Dalton; and one sister Ruth Joy Holmstrom. She is survived by her children: Tericia and Corey Leavitt of Sandy, Utah; Robert and Myrtle Fitzgerald of Middleton, Idaho, Marie and Don Waggoner of Highland Home, Alabama, Susan and Mike Vawdrey of Nampa, Idaho, Mary Ann and Randy Stevens of Fulton, Missouri, Mark and Mary Fitzgerald of Roger, Arkansas, Murry and Cathy Dalton of South Jordan, Utah, along with Linda and Joe Walker of Salt Lake City, Utah, Sandy and Craig Haacke of Kearns, Utah, Darlene and Pete Judge of Salt Lake City, Utah, Tamra Dalton of West Jordan, Utah, and Caroline Dalton of Washington, Utah. She is also survived by 40 grandchildren and 110 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild with grandpa James Walter Fitzgerald; 19 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren with grandpa Lloyd Dalton. Services for Betty Marie will be held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, March 11 at the South Jordan Parkway 9th Ward located at 10200 S. 3200 W. in South Jordan, Utah with a viewing from 10:00 to 10:45 AM prior to the services. Interment will be held at 10:00 AM on Monday, March 13, 2023 at the Redwood Memorial Estates located at 6500 S. Redwood Road in Taylorsville, Utah. Bishop Vander Linden will be officiating the services. Arrangements by Zeyer Funeral Chapel, Nampa, Idaho, 208-467-7300. A zoom link is provided for those unable to attend in person; https://zoom.us/j/94702123958 (https://zoom.us/j/94702123958) passcode: Loved
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