Robert Norman Walton

Robert N. Walton, 52, of Washington, D.C. died peacefully on September 7, with loved ones by his side. He was cherished and will be greatly missed by his wife of 20 years, Jessica (Schaffer) Walton; parents, Norman and Bridget Walton of Newark, CA.; brother Paul Walton and his wife Cheryl Orr of Livermore, CA.; sister-in-law, Victoria Barrow, and nephew, Leslie Barrow, of Raleigh, N.C.; mother-in-law Dorothea Schaffer of Lancaster, PA.; and many members of his extended family and dear friends and colleagues.

Rob was born in Stanford, CA., and graduated from Newark Memorial High School before receiving his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University in 1987, spending a year as a Rotary Scholar at the University of Durham (England) from 1987 to 1988, and receiving his law degree from Boston University in 1991, where he served as an editor of the Law Review and as president of the Student Bar Association.

He was highly regarded in his accomplished legal career. At the time of his passing, Rob was Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Deltek, Inc. in Herndon, VA. Before joining Deltek, he was Senior Policy Director at Transparency International-USA, an anti-corruption organization. Rob also served as a Managing Director and Associate General Counsel at BearingPoint, and as a Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Cable & Wireless. Early in his career, Rob was an attorney in private practice in Washington, D.C., at the law firms of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering and Cole, Raywid & Braverman. He was also a co-founder and principal of the virtual law firm VistaLaw International. To his colleagues, Rob was a trusted counselor, a respected supervisor, and a warm and supportive friend.

Rob was a beloved husband, son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, and friend. He was devoted to his family and his friends, supporting them through their challenges and sharing enthusiastically in their joys. Rob was passionate about photography, politics, history, music, film, and especially the theater. Rob took acting classes at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington and the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York, played the role of Hortensio in a community theater production of The Taming of the Shrew, and served on the board of the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company since 2014. Above all, Rob loved to travel the world with Jess.