Connie Walton, age 76 of Grinnell, died on Friday, February 22, 2019 from complications of Parkinson's disease. She was receiving care at the Mayflower Community Health Care Center in Grinnell and also under the care of Grinnell Regional Hospice. Mass of the Resurrection will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, February 28, 2019 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grinnell. A reception will follow the service at the church. Interment will be at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Eldora, Iowa at a later date. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27 at the Smith Funeral Home and the family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Memorials may be designated to St. Mary's Catholic Church, mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Connie Jean Long was born on November 4, 1942 in Whitten, Iowa to Howard Wilson Long and Johanna Marie (Dekker) Long. She was raised in Whitten and attended Union-Whitten Schools, where she excelled in softball and basketball as well as cheerleading. She graduated from Union-Whitten High School in 1960. Connie was united in marriage to Dennis Walton at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Eldora on August 17, 1963. Dennis served in the United States Air Force and the couple lived in England from 1966 until 1969. Following Dennis' honorable discharge from the Air Force, the couple returned to Grinnell and Connie was a homemaker and later was employed at GTE and Verizon for 26 years. The couple was blessed with two sons, Derek and Darren. She was a longtime member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grinnell. Connie will be remembered as an amazing wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She loved attending her grandchildren's activities, hosting meals and gatherings with family and friends. The couple enjoyed spending their winter months in Arizona during retirement. Connie is survived by her husband of 55 years, Dennis Walton of Grinnell; two sons, Derek (Angie) Walton of Farmington, Minnesota and their children, Zachary and Luke, and Darren (Stacy) Walton of Grinnell and their children, Nina and Libby; sister, Carolyn (Al) Schafer of Mesa, Arizona; and brother, Gary (Connie) Long of Marshalltown, Iowa. She was preceded in death by her parents.