Elizabeth Merina (Steffen) Walton

Elizabeth Merina (Steffen) Walton, 93, died Feb. 2, 2020.

Elizabeth will be laid to rest next to Harry at Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, Calif.

Elizabeth was born Jan. 28, 1927, in Fordyce, one of 11 children of Herman and Christine (Schroeder) Steffen. She graduated from Sacred Heart School of Nursing, Yankton, S.D., in 1947. She spent the next 40 years working in the Midwest, Denver, Colo., and eventually made her way to Alameda, Calif., where she lived the majority of her life. After years of providing critical care to others, she left hospital nursing and went to work as a nurse on a passenger ship for American President Lines. Twice a year she sailed around the world for three months at a time. In all, she sailed around the world nine times. She continued her studies later in life and earned a BS degree in 1981 from Chapman College in Alameda. She married Captain Harry Walton May 19, 1985, who was a shipmate of Liz’s throughout the years. They continued to travel the world extensively during their retirement, and also loved to spend time skiing in Lake Tahoe.

She is survived by numerous nieces and nephews who remember her for her kindness, generosity and adventurous spirit.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Harry; five brothers, Ike, Greg, Walter, Robert and Andrew Steffen; five sisters, Rosalia Lammers, Eleanor Burbach, Mary Vanderheiden, Bernadette Bockholt and Ramona Meuret.