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<p><em>Clifford Augustus Walton Jr.</em> passed away on August 26, 2025. Born in Framingham, MA on March 24, 1934 to Clifford A. Walton Sr. and Helen Habinowski, he lived a life shaped by service, discipline, faith, and devotion to family.</p>
<p>At age 16, he enlisted in the Massachusetts National Guard (26th Infantry Division, nicknamed the “Yankee Division”). While serving, he attended Northeastern University in Boston, MA for two years before receiving an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was a member of Company M-1. While at the Academy, he was active in cadet life, competing on the Cross-Country Team during his second and third years and participating in the Camera Club for three years. He also served on the Ring and Crest Committee and the Debate Council and Forum for four years and was a member of the Radio Club for two years. He graduated with the Class of 1957 and was commissioned into the United States Army Signal Corps.</p>
<p>Following commissioning, he completed parachute training at Fort Benning, GA and flight coursework as part of his professional development. He was subsequently assigned to Hawaii for training and readiness related to Southeast Asia operations, including preparation for deployment to Laos. Although the anticipated assignment to Laos ultimately did not occur, the experience remained an important part of his military service and outlook. He later completed additional training at Fort Bliss, TX before receiving an assignment to the Missile Master site in Highlands, NJ, a U.S. Army surface-to-air missile control complex that directed the Project Nike fire units in the New York Defense Area. He served at this site until resigning his commission in 1963. His service reflected steadiness, intellectual rigor, and a thoughtful approach to responsibility.</p>
<p>After leaving active duty, he transitioned to civilian life with the same sense of purpose. He spent six years working for Corning Glass Works, followed by employment in life insurance and social services. He later joined a small software company in Massachusetts, where he remained through its growth, sale, and eventual closure, retiring thereafter.</p>
<p>Retirement did not signal inactivity. He devoted significant time to his church and community and remained deeply involved with Charlton Baptist Church for many years. His Christian faith was central to his life, guiding his decisions and shaping his outlook. He lived his faith quietly and consistently and approached the later years of life with calm assurance, openly expressing his desire to meet the Lord in physical death.</p>
<p>He was known for his intelligence, even temperament, and dry, understated sense of humor. His humor was subtle and perfectly timed, often expressed without words. One of his favorite observations was that he hoped to live one day longer than his own father. When that milestone was reached, he acknowledged it with characteristic deadpan humor, a quiet satisfaction that reflected both his wit and his perspective on life.</p>
<p>He married in 1957 and became the father of six children. After a divorce in 1971, he remarried in 1980. He and his wife made their home in Charlton, MA, where he valued routine, faith, and Sunday worship. </p>
<p>In later years, although his anticipated military service in Laos had never occurred, his daughter completed that journey for him, carrying him there in spirit through a small red dog now known within the family as Clifford the Big Red Dog.</p>
<p>Clifford is survived by his sister, Alice; his children: Clifford Walton III, Cheryl Walton, Thomas Walton, Mary Walton, and Trent Walton; two granddaughters; and one great-grandson. He was preceded in death by his wife Gail and his son James.</p>
<p>Clifford A. Walton Jr. will be remembered with love and respect.</p>
<p><em>— Family</em></p>
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