Mary B. Walton, 96, peacefully went home to her Lord Jesus on September 10, 2009 in Cary. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at a future date at Blessed Sacrament Church in Mary’s beloved hometown of Savannah, Ga.

Mary Byrnes Walton was born in Savannah on Sept. 6, 1913, to parents Joseph and Elizabeth Byrnes. Walton was the oldest daughter of five children: Joseph, Mary, Louise, Helen and Arthur Byrnes. Louise Byrnes Bailey of St. Petersburg, FL, and Helen Byrnes, aka Sr. Mary Felice Byrnes, of Mercy Convent, Savannah, are her surviving siblings.

Walton graduated from St. Vincent’s Academy, and St. Joseph’s School of Nursing in 1931. Walton's career as an R.N. with the Civil Service took her from Savannah to Augusta, Georgia, South Dakota during World War II, and Oklahoma. She served as psychiatric nurse at the V. A. Hospital in Oklahoma City during the Vietnam War, retiring after 30 years of service.

Walton married Robert G. Walton on Jan .21, 1947, in Savannah upon Robert’s return from the Occupation Army in Tokyo. They moved to Oklahoma, where they had three children, all surviving: Felice Walton Hart of Albany, NY, George Terrence Walton of Albany, NY, and Sheila Walton Amos of Raleigh. Walton is also survived by grandchildren George T. Walton, Julia Walton, and great-grandson Sebastian Walton. Mary and Robert were married for 50 years. Upon his death, Walton lived with her daughter Sheila and son-in-law, Paul Amos, in Raleigh. She was a member of St. Andrew the Apostle Catholic Church of Apex.

Thank you for the loving support of the Byrnes, Walton and Amos families, church family and friends through the years.

In lieu of flowers, memorials for Mary Byrnes Walton may be made to: Hospice of Wake County, 1300 St. Mary’s Street, Suite 400, Raleigh, NC 27605. Arrangements are entrusted to Apex Funeral Directors of Apex www.ApexFuneral.com.