Like many in the community, staff at The Tribune were saddened to hear of the passing of former Lawrence County Common Pleas Judge William Richard Walton.

Through the years, Walton maintained friendships with many members of our staff and, until recently, he was a regular visitor to our office, where, in his retirement, he would often drop by with story suggestions — usually about someone he had met around the city or county, whose work or achievements he thought were worth spotlighting with a feature piece.

As our front page story today illustrates from the testimony of those who knew him, Walton contributed to the county, not just through his role as an elected judge, but also in the many civic groups he remained engaged in well into his retirement.

It is illustrative of how much of an impact he had on the lives of those in the county that so many wanted to speak about their relationship with him.

If we had an indefinite deadline on the piece, one could easily assume that a book could be filled from the public with stories on Walton’s generosity and wisdom.

His passing is a tremendous loss for the region, but his legacy will live on through the many people he mentored and inspired.

We extend our condolences to all who knew him and offer a profound thank you to Walton for all contributed in his life.