Willard A. Winton
April 25, 1918 - August 8, 2009
Willard A. Winton passed away peacefully at home, Saturday August 8th, 2009 under the loving care of his family and Hospice of San Joaquin, three weeks to the day of the passing of his spouse of sixty-six years, Florence Winton.
He was born in Spring Valley, Illinois in 1918 to parents Charles Arnone (Arnold) and Emma Boe, but was legally adopted and retained the name of his beloved stepfather, Herb Winton. He was raised in the Bay Area and graduated from Oakland High School in 1936, and also attended several college semesters at Berkeley before WWII.
He was employed by the SP railroad for about 12 years and then joined the City of Stockton Public Works Department as a "self-taught" Civil Engineer, a job he retired from in 1980 after thirty-two years of dedicated service.
Willard's passion was for fixing and making things of an electrical or mechanical nature. He was a confirmed "do-it-yourselfer" in every way. He also enjoyed many outdoor activities, such as skiing, camping, fishing, hiking and diving for abalone, clamming, and crabbing on trips to Dillon Beach on the California coast with family and co-workers.
He is survived by his daughters, Sandra Folmer (Doyle) of Shingle Springs, Patricia Winton (Rich Sapudar) of Davis, and Susan Winton (Edward R.) of Stockton. He is also survived by grandchildren, Vicki Gomez of Santa Barbara, Norma Knox of Sacramento, Yvonne Tyler (Kacey) of Auburn and great-grandchildren, Matthew Martin and Sarah Pardew, Makinley and William Tyler, Shaun Dean, Ted and Amber Gomez and great-great grandson Jacob Dean. He was preceded in death by his wife, Florence Winton, and his son Richard Stephen Winton. He will be greatly missed.
A graveside service will be held Monday, August 24st at 10:00 a.m. at Park View Cemetery, 3661 East French Camp Road, Manteca, CA 95336. A memorial celebration and retrospective of Will's life will be held Sunday, August 30th at 2:00 p.m. at the Tidewater Art Center and Gallery, 223 East Weber Avenue, Stockton, CA 95202. Willie's friends and family are invited to attend either or both events. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of San Joaquin at http://www.hospicesj.org or Hospice of San Joaquin, 3888 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA 95204.
