Viola M. Bolton Obituary

Viola M. Bolton


		Viola M. Bolton, 91, of Eau Claire, passed away on Saturday, July 25, 2009, at the Dove Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Eau Claire. She was born June 29, 1918, at Holmen, Wis., to Ansel and Wilda (Skogen) Bratberg. She was a graduate of Holmen High School and the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse. She married James R. Bolton on April 5, 1941, at Holmen Lutheran Church, Holmen, Wis. Her teaching career included schools in LaCrosse, Galesville and Menomonee Falls, and she retired from the Eau Claire School System in 1980. She then tutored Hmong adults for 14 years. She was an active participant in the church and many civic organizations in the communities where she resided -- La Crosse, Wis., La Crescent, Minn., Menomonee Falls and Eau Claire, Wis. She enjoyed traveling, her flower garden, nature, golf, and especially her family and grandchildren.


She is survived by four children and 16 grandchildren. Daughter, Donna (Raymond) Hoel of Cornell, Wis., and their children Kristen and Kari, and Amy (Troy) Plummer. Daughter, Cynthia Bolton of San Antonio, Texas, and her children Jessica (Paul) Tatro, and John and Katie Tritsch. Son, Joseph (Alison Miller) Bolton of Coral Gables, Fla., and their children Reid, Scott and Elizabeth. Son, Richard (Suzanne) Bolton of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and their children Robert, Charles and Andrew. Viola is further survived by her daughter-in-law Lynn (Mike) BeBeau of Ashland, Wis., and children Kara (Greg) Bolton Lunak, David Bolton, and Lindsay and Jonathan BeBeau; four great-grandchildren -- Ty Plummer, Owen Lunak, Kaylee Plummer and Lauren Hoel; four sisters -- Lois Dawes, Irma Daniels, Pauline (Gordon) Van Dunk and Elvah (Robert) Ristinen; two brothers, Burton Bratberg and Wayne (Garnet) Bratberg; numerous nieces and nephews and many cousins. Viola was preceded in death by her husband, James, who passed away in 2002 after 61 years of marriage, and her son Robert Paul Bolton, who passed away in 1982. Viola was a wonderful mother, grandmother, sister, teacher and friend. She will be greatly missed. Funeral Services will be at 11:00 am on Wednesday July 29, 2009, at First Lutheran Church, 1005 Oxford Avenue, Eau Claire, Wis. Burial will immediately follow services in Forest Hill Cemetery in Eau Claire. Visitation will be at the church on Wednesday morning from 9 a.m. until the time of services. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given in Viola's name to the Bolton Refuge House, P.O. Box 482, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 54702-0482. Friends and family may offer condolences online at www.fullerspeckien.com. Fuller Speckien Hulke Funeral Home, 3209 Rudolph Road, Eau Claire, Wis., is assisting the family with the arrangements.