Thelma Louise (Bower) Walton-Linder, age 101, of Apopka, Florida, died Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at the Sunbelt Skilled Nursing Home in Apopka, Florida.

Celebration of life services will be held 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at the Keota Cemetery in Keota, Iowa. A general memorial has been established. Online condolences may be sent for Thelma's family through the web at www.jonesfh.com .

Thelma Louise Bower was born May 14, 1911 near Keota, Iowa the daughter of Howard and Nellie Gracie (Stamp) Bower. She graduated from Keota High School in 1930 as Valedictorian. She began teaching school in a rural community that fall. Thelma also taught in South English and other schools. She took college courses from the University of Iowa, Parsons College in Fairfield, and graduated from Penn College in Oskaloosa on May 26, 1969. Her teaching career totaled thirty-seven years of which sixteen years were taught in Sigourney, Iowa. She retired in 1975. She was president of the Retired Teachers Association for several years.

Under the sponsorship of Rev. John Elroy, Thelma and a group toured several foreign countries including Greece, Holland and Israel. She also toured Alaska.

Thelma married Ellis Walton in Washington, Iowa, on December 27, 1933. They had one child, James Howard Walton. Thelma and Ellis farmed prior to moving to Sigourney. Ellis died on June 10, 1978. She later married Kenneth Linder on May 20, 1984 who preceded her in death on August 29, 2002.

Thelma is survived by her son James Howard Walton and wife Evelyn of Apopka, Florida; two grandchildren, Duane Walton and Diana (Walton) Baird; four great grandchildren, Eric and Ryan Baird , and Caleb and Joshua Walton, all of Central Florida, and one sister, Eunice Bower Walton of Marengo, Iowa.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Ellis, husband Kenneth, one brother Fred Bower, and one sister Glova Bower Schutz.