WALTON, Brooke Danielle 1986-2006
WALTON, OBERHEU
Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 5/11/2015 at 23:58:33
Brooke Danielle Walton passed away on Saturday, March 18, 2006 due to injuries from a vehicle accident. A car in which she was a passenger was struck at high speed near Underwood in Pottawatamie Co., western Iowa. She was taken to Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha where she and another passenger died. Five college friends were returning from a spring break trip to Colorado.
Brooke was born on September 19, 1986 in Waterloo, Iowa, the daughter of Kim and Marty (Oberheu) Walton. She was the younger sister of Brandi.
She was an honor student in the talented and gifted program, and earned enough credits to graduate a year early (2004) from Waverly-Shell Rock High School in Waverly, IA.
Brooke won first place at several Iowa History Day competitions which entitled her to compete at National History Day in Washington, D.C. She was recognized by United States Senator Tom Harken for her research on the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Her other activities were: band in which she played French Horn, choir, church, National Oratorical Speech Contest, numerous committees and boards both state and university level, National Mock Trial in which she qualified with her team from the University of Iowa. She would have competed in the upcoming contest in a few weeks. Brooke was inducted into the University of Iowa Mock Trial Hall of Fame, an award for a select few individuals based on talent, honors, dedication and impact on the program.
At the time of her tragic death, she was a sophomore at the University of Iowa where she was double majoring in political science and philosophy. She was an honor student during her entire academic career and served as a resident advisor at UI where she was loved by the young women in her dormitory.
Brooke was a beautiful young woman who had exceptional abilities. She had an extremely bright future in which she had the desire to contribute greatly to the welfare of humankind. Because of the careless disregard of one man, the lives of two outstanding young people were lost and their friends and families forever changed.
Brooke is survived by her parents, Kim and Marty Walton, of Cedar Falls; sister Brandi Walton of Shell Rock; maternal grandmother Darlys Oberheu of Cedar Falls, IA; paternal grandfather Glenn (Polly) Walton of Denver, IA; aunt and uncle, Kris and Bill Marmie of Cedar Falls, IA; uncle Jerry Oberheu of Phoenix, AZ; uncle and aunt, Craig and Deb Walton of Waterloo, IA; cousins Josh and Jeremiah Oberheu, Randy and Nicholas Walton, and Elizabeth (Ellie) Marmie, and the love of her life, David Hartwig, of Colorado with whom she planned to spend her future years.
Brooke was preceded in death by her paternal grandmother, Maxine Walton, and her maternal grandfather, Edgar Oberheu.
Memorial and visitation were handled by Parrott & Wood Chapel of Memories, an Overton Family Service, Waterloo, on Thursday, March 23, from 4 to 8 p.m. A memorial service was held at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Waverly on Friday, March 24, at 10:30 a.m. Friends stood in line for nearly 2 hours to bid Brooke goodbye. There was also a viewing at St. Paul's Church on Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. before the service. Memorials were directed to the family for a memorial fund to be decided at a later date.
Dr. Nicholas Colangelo of the University of Iowa said at Brooke's memorial service, "If a room didn't light up when Brooke entered, it wasn't going to." She will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
Update as of April 2013: Brooke's sister, Brandi, married Matt Archibald, and they live in Waverly. Brooke would have enjoyed her step-niece, Emily Archibald, and niece, Caitie Archibald (b. 2009). For several years, a summer golf outing was held in Brooke's name, and this generated funds for Dollars for Scholars at Waverly-Shell Rock High School.
[Source: Overton Family Service, Waterloo]
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The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier March 22, 2006 contains a less detailed obituary.
Black Hawk Obituaries maintained by Karen De Groote.
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