Our mom, Ethelyn Walton McDonald, was born in Needham, Massachusetts to Edwin Walton and Alice Tate Walton. An only child, she loved dearly her paternal grandmother, Jennie Lovewell Tate Walton, who had a tremendous positive influence on Ethelyn. Besides her grandmother, our mother also stayed in regular contact with her aunts, uncles, and cousins in England. As a young woman, mom had a career working for a bank in Boston; she lived in NYC for a time, and even scored an audition with the Boston Pops! Pretty remarkable for a single young woman in those days! Both she and my father had many dear friends & acquaintances throughout the years. Their colleagues and wedding party attendants remained friends even though there were many miles between them. Mom often told the story of fighting homesickness her first few months in Louisville. Out shopping one day, she spied a car with Massachusetts license plates in a store parking lot. Happy with the chance to bond with another Yankee, you can only imagine her disappointment when she found out the Yankees were really native Louisvillians who had just transferred back home from Massachusetts. And adding to her disappointment, they told her how glad they were to be back in KY! Her discouragement quickly turned into a love of all things Kentucky. She loved the life my dad & she built here. The friends they had, building & decorating their beautiful homes, & the social life they enjoyed through their country clubs & bridge club. Mom and dad were born "Yankees” but embraced the southern way of life. They in turn, provided us with a charmed life. We lived in wonderful neighborhoods full of other families with children our age. There were birthday parties, piano lessons, ballet lessons, ice skating on Saturdays, trips to the barn to check on the horses, and riding lessons. Mom was always encouraging & inspiring telling us we could be anything we wanted to be. Mom always knew what to say to help in any situation. She loved her husband and family and wanted us all to be happy and content. That was her mission in life - and she worked at it everyday. After living in Mt. Vernon, Ohio for 10 years - dad was ready to "pull in the oars". Dad retired in 1987 and there was no doubt, at least in moms mind where they were going to spend their retirement. They moved back to Louisville and picked up where they had left off. They barely missed a beat! The past years have been blessed. They enjoyed traveling, visiting friends & family, & welcoming grandchildren & great-grandchildren. Thoughtfulness was one of mom's best attributes. She always was sending cards to her friends and family for birthdays, anniversaries or just to say hi! She remembered all her friends special days and never let one go by without a lovely card & handwritten note inside. She also appreciated dressing up and looking "put together" all the time. Mom had a classiness about her, but could be so down to earth - all the while dressed in a beautiful outfit complete with hair & makeup everyday. Bottom line - she made everyone in her life feel special & loved and she ALWAYS put others before her. It is incredible the number of people I've (we’ve) spoken to about mom who say she was their very best friend and continued the deep friendships even in these last years when their traveling slowed. She had a way of making people feel special and her kindness was abundant. She was so sensitive to the people in her life who were going through a rough time. A devout catholic, she recited prayers to get her through. If she felt you were in need of divine intervention she'd start the round the clock novenas. You better hope you didn't interrupt her on the hour! That strong faith was a direct influence of her grandmother. Mom was a convert, but faith transcends any denomination. And she really relied on and believed in the power of prayer. Now she'll continue her work in heaven as our guardian angel to watch over us as our lives unfold. She's been pretty successful so far. Glad she's in our corner! We love you Mom and will miss you terribly!!

Our mom, Ethelyn Walton McDonald, was born in Needham, Massachusetts to Edwin Walton and Alice Tate Walton. An only child, she loved dearly her paternal grandmother, Jennie Lovewell Tate Walton, who had a tremendous positive influence on Ethelyn. Besides her grandmother, my mother also stayed in regular contact with her aunts, uncles, and cousins in England. As a young woman, mom had a career working for a bank in Boston; she lived in NYC for a time, and even scored an audition with the Boston Pops! Pretty remarkable for a single young woman in those days! Both she and my father had many dear friends & acquaintances throughout the years. Their colleagues and wedding party attendants remained friends even though there were many miles between them. Mom often told the story of fighting homesickness her first few months in Louisville. Out shopping one day, she spied a car with Massachusetts license plates in a store parking lot. Happy with the chance to bond with another Yankee, you can only imagine her disappointment when she found out the Yankees were really native Louisvillians who had just transferred back home from Massachusetts. And adding to her disappointment, they told her how glad they were to be back in KY! Her discouragement quickly turned into a love of all things Kentucky. She loved the life my dad & she built here. The friends they had, building & decorating their beautiful homes, & the social life they enjoyed through their country clubs & bridge club. Mom and dad were born "Yankees” but embraced the southern way of life. They in turn, provided us with a charmed life. We lived in wonderful neighborhoods full of other families with children our age. There were birthday parties, piano lessons, ballet lessons, ice skating on Saturdays, trips to the barn to check on the horses, and riding lessons. Mom was always encouraging & inspiring telling us we could be anything we wanted to be. Mom always knew what to say to help in any situation. She loved her husband and family and wanted us all to be happy and content. That was her mission in life - and she worked at it everyday. After living in Mt. Vernon, Ohio for 10 years - dad was ready to "pull in the oars". Dad retired in 1987 and there was no doubt, at least in moms mind where they were going to spend their retirement. They moved back to Louisville and picked up where they had left off. They barely missed a beat! The past years have been blessed. They enjoyed traveling, visiting friends & family, & welcoming grandchildren & great-grandchildren. Thoughtfulness was one of mom's best attributes. She always was sending cards to her friends and family for birthdays, anniversaries or just to say hi! She remembered all her friends special days and never let one go by without a lovely card & handwritten note inside. She also appreciated dressing up and looking "put together" all the time. Mom had a classiness about her, but could be so down to earth - all the while dressed in a beautiful outfit complete with hair & makeup everyday. Bottom line - she made everyone in her life feel special & loved and she ALWAYS put others before her. It is incredible the number of people I've (we’ve) spoken to about mom who say she was their very best friend and continued the deep friendships even in these last years when their traveling slowed. She had a way of making people feel special and her kindness was abundant. She was so sensitive to the people in her life who were going through a rough time. A devout catholic, she recited prayers to get her through. If she felt you were in need of divine intervention she'd start the round the clock novenas. You better hope you didn't interrupt her on the hour! That strong faith was a direct influence of her grandmother. Mom was a convert, but faith transcends any denomination. And she really relied on and believed in the power of prayer. Now she'll continue her work in heaven as our guardian angel to watch over us as our lives unfold. She's been pretty successful so far. Glad she's in our corner! We love you Mom and will miss you terribly!!