Kent Leon Walton

Kent L. Walton, 64, of Saratoga, WY, passed away Oct. 1, 2014 at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. Kent was born in Burley, Idaho on Oct. 11, 1949 to Warren and Mary Walton. Kent attended school in Oakley, Idaho where he resided as a child. He worked at various jobs on farms and ranches in Idaho as a young man. Kent moved to Saratoga in the late 1960's, following his sister, Mary Lou and family, to work for Edward Hines Lumber Mill. Kent helped helped construct the lumber mill and planer and worked there at various jobs. When Louisiana-Pacific Corporation bought out Hines in the 1980's Kent continued to work there as a dry end supervisor. In 1992 Kent and Cindy moved to Laupahoehoe, Hawaii, where he worked with his brother, Ron harvesting koa trees. Kent and Cindy moved back to Saratoga in May of 1993 and Kent went back to work for WY DOT in Saratoga where he retired as a heavy equipment operator in October 2011 after 19 years of service.

Kent enjoyed hunting, fishing, trapping, and hunting for shed antlers. He loved sharing his knowledge of these hobbies with his children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters and many friends. Cindy said she had to schedule her vacations around his hobbies. Every season he was busy: trapping October thru March, shed hunting March thru May, fishing May thru October, scouting for that elusive elk, deer and moose in August and September and pheasant hunting in November. He planned a pheasant trip with his brother Norman and another one with his grandson, Tristan, this year. Tristan, Brandon and Cindy will be taking this trip in Kent's memory.

Kent was preceded in death by his parents, Warren and Mary Walton; two brothers, Leonard and Shelton Walton; sister Mary Lou Twitchell and step-sons Brian and Shawn Gray. He is survived by his wife Cindy Walton, of Saratoga; daughter Lisa Walton (Sandy Vancleeve) ,of Billings, Mont.; sons Scott Walton (Cindy), of Billings, Mont. and Brandon Gray (Susan Smith), of Saratoga, brothers Norman and Ron (Kyong) Walton, of Rupert, Idaho; sisters Idella Craner of Jerome, Idaho and Barbara Craner of Burley, Idaho. Grandchildren Elijah, Sage, and Silas Walton, of Billings, Mont. and Tristan, Brayden and Piper Gray, of Saratoga and Rawlins. Cindy's mother, Dorothy Severns and sister Sue Christensen, of Encampment, sister Peggy Huntley of Rock Springs, and brother Ron Severns of Encampment. Many special nieces and nephews also survive Kent along with his special canine children Dusty, Josie, Abbey and Rambo.

A Celebration of Life will be held at the Valley Chapel at the Saratoga Cemetery on Oct. 18 at 1 p.m. with interment immediately following the service at the Encampment Cemetery.