Walton Duyane Von Bank

Walton Duyane Von Bank, 83, of Church Hill, TN, passed away on Friday, March 6, 2026.

Walt was born in Armstrong, IA but grew up in Sherburn, MN, where he was the eldest of six children. He attended Sherburn High School (Class of 1960) where he was a wrestler, track and field member, member of the football team, and a choir member. He met the love of his life, Janet Easley, in high school and they married in 1961.

He spent his early working years in the hospitality industry, beginning as a bell boy and working his way up to manager by the time their daughter, Ann, was born in West Virginia. Walt transitioned into cooking and managing hotel kitchens, becoming a chef at the Omaha Press Club in the early 1970s. He spent the next 20 years in the kitchen as both a chef and food and beverage manager. In the late 1970s, the family moved to Bismarck, ND where Walt was the food and beverage manager of the Ramada Inn. He managed several hotels in the area over the next 12 years. He was a founding member of the North Star Lions Club in Bismarck and served in numerous offices within the club.

He was a family man, oftentimes rearranging his schedule to be able to spend quality time with his loved ones. The family moved to Knoxville, TN in 1986 and he made career sacrifices so that Ann could finish her college education at UT, something that Walt longed for but was unable to attain himself. While living in Knoxville, he became a lifelong UT fan. Walt and Jan had season tickets to the Vols games for over 10 years.

Walt and Jan retired to Florida - decided that hurricanes were too much for them - and they moved to Arkansas, where Ann and her family were living. They lived in Cherokee Village, AR and Walt was a member of the Cherokee Village Lions Club. He served three terms as president and loved every minute of it! His passion was the Seeing Eye Dog program. He served as a member of a Lions Club for over 50 years, finding chapters in the various states where the family lived.

After the passing of his wife, Jan, in 2021, and a series of health issues, Walt moved to East Tennessee to be closer to Ann and her family. After a mild stroke, Walt transitioned to The Waters of Bristol in Bristol, TN. He lived there for 3 years enjoying gardening and making diamond art pictures. He had two diamond art sales for the East Tennessee Alzheimer's chapter and donated over $1000 to that charity.

Walt loved his three grandchildren, Andrew, Rebecca, and John and adored his great-grandson, Nicholas. The family would like to thank the staff and nurses of The Waters of Bristol for the love and care that they showed to Walt throughout his time there and the staff of Gentiva Hospice for the compassion they have shown.

He is preceded in death by his parents, John and Harriet Von Bank; wife, Janet Von Bank; son, James Allen Von Bank; sister, Janet Woodyard; grandson, James Robert Pace; and twin great-grandchildren.

Walt is survived by daughter, Ann Pace and husband, David; grandson, Andrew Pace; granddaughter, Rebecca Cook (Ian); grandson, John Pace; great-grandson, Nicholas Cook; brother, John Von Bank (Kathy); sisters, Judy Steffen (Rick), JoAnn Sathoff, and June Nelson; and many nieces and nephews.

Donation can be made to the Lions International Seeing Eye Dogs in memory of Walt.

Trinity Memorial Centers Funeral Home (423-723-8177) is honored to serve the family, online condolences can be shared with the family on our website at www.trinitymemorialcenters.com.