Waltene was a 23 year retired Major from the USAF. He served our country during WWII and the Korean Conflict as well as the Berlin Airlift and received the Air Force Longevity Service Award. In his service he was a Search and rescue Pilot, Tactical Bomber and a Test Pilot. He was a very determined individual and flew into the Bermuda triange just to see what happened. He served in Guam, the Philippines, Germany, Hawaii, Texas, Greenland and Bermuda.
To say the least Waltene was an athletic individual. In his youth, he was known as a football hero, playing first at Susan Moore High School where he graduated and continuing on to play for Howard College now known as Samford.
Waltene was known to everyone as a big tease and children loved his great sense of humor. It has been said that Waltene drove cars the same way he flew airplanes, "Flying Low". One day he was speeding along the highway and a State Trooper pulled hm over. He came up to the car and jokingly asked Waltene to show him his pilots license. And with a wonderful wit and charm, Waltene pulled out his real pilots license and gave it to the Trooper. He did not get a ticket. How many times you guess that happened?
He had Jesus in his heart and raised his children with love, compassion and discipline. A son describes his lectures as "always carrying a good lesson of how to become a better person."
Waltene loved to square dance and tired to get everyone he knew to dance too. He also was a very organized collector of coins and stamps and almost anything else you can collect. Everything had its order and its place in Waltene's collections.

Waltene was predeceased by his first wife, Martha Jackson, His parents, Elijah & Addie Jackson, Two brothers, T R & E.L. Jr. Two sisters, Gertrude Danehower and Bernice Ellis Mims. He is survived by his wife Anne Jackson, One daughter, Diane Siegel and two sons, Greg and Eric Jackson.

Eulogy delivered by his son-in-law, Bob Siegel at his funeral.