A brief biography of Vivian Arlie Wall of Sharon Center, Medina County, Ohio, a veteran of World War II who was killed four months after returning from the war when his automobile was struck by a switching engine at an unguarded railroad crossing.

Vivian Arlie Wall

Clara (Corbett), Ronald and Vivian Wall
1943

Vivian Wall married Clara Corbett
Children of Vivian and Clara Wall

Arthur Arlie Wall married Denise Greer

Ronald Nevin Wall married Carolyn Whitsett

Children of Ronald and Carolyn Wall

Bruce Edward Wall married Denise Weihe

Tonya Michelle Wall married Joseph Madia 

Vivian Wall Photos

Vivian Arlie Wall and Family

            Vivian was the youngest child of Reason and Winnie Wall and was born in Sharon on November 11, 1921.  He grew up on his father's farm and graduated from Sharon High School in June 1939.  He attended Stuart Business College in Akron for eight months in 1940 and 1941 studying accounting and bookkeeping.  On June 22, 1941 he married Clara Luvenia Corbett of Copley Township in Summit County.  In 1941 and 1942 Vivian worked for the Firestone Steel Products Company in Akron as a turret lathe operator until he was drafted into the Army on September 10, 1942. He completed infantry training at Mineral Wells, Texas and was transferred to Massachusetts to await shipment to the European Theater of Operations.  He departed the United States in April 1943 for Libya, North Africa and saw action there and in Sicily and Italy before World War II ended.

During the war he was an intelligence scout and ambulance and light truck driver.  In November 1945 he returned to the U.S. and was discharged at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, Pennsylvania during the general demobilization.  His medals included the Good Conduct Medal, Europe, Africa, Middle East Service ribbons with one Bronze Star.  Early on the morning of March 31, 1946 Vivian was killed in an auto accident.  He was twenty-four years of age.  The following article appeared in a newspaper shortly after his death.

 WAR VETERAN IS KILED BY CRESTON TRAIN Dies in Hospital After Sunday Crash - Third Fatality of Year. CRESTON - Vivian Wall, 23, of Sharon Center, war veteran, died at the Lodi hospital about 11 a.m., Sunday from injuries received about 4 a.m., that day when his automobile was struck by a light engine at the main Street crossing here.  It was the second serious accident at the crossing in three days, two other youths being seriously injured Friday night.   In Sunday's accident Wall was traveling north and apparently alone in his car when he was struck by the engine without a train.  The engine was traveling west. Dr. B. M. Foster of Creston gave the youth first aid and sent him to the hospital in the Murray ambulance.  It was found that the youth had a fractured skull and other injuries.  He had been discharged from the army in November.  His car was badly damaged and there was no information available here today as to where he had been but it was presumed from the direction of his travel that he was en route home. Wall is survived by his father and mother, Mr. And Mrs. R. D. Wall, of Sharon Center; his wife; two young sons, aged four and two years; and nine brothers and sisters. Funeral services will be held on Wednesday afternoon at 2 o'clock from the Hilliard Funeral Home in Wadsworth with Rev. A. G. Lansberry, of Sharon Center, officiating.  Burial will be made in the Sharon Center cemetery. The youths injured at the crossing in a similar accident Friday night were Harold Totten of Creston R. D., and Dale Young of Coshocton.  The former is reported as improved at the Lodi hospital but Young is reported as remaining in a serious condition. The death of the Sharon Center youth is the third from motor vehicle traffic in Wayne County this year and the first since February.

            Vivian and Clara were separated and in the process of a divorce when he was killed.  Custody of his two sons, Ronald and Arthur, passed to their grandparents Reason and Winnie Wall.  The boys' Aunt Clara Wall Coolman was granted legal custody in about 1948 and full guardianship at a later date.  Vivian's wife Clara lived for many years in Arkansas and moved to Show Low, Arizona in 1990.  She was killed in an auto accident in Wagon Wheel, Arizona on November 26, 1990 when her car was broad sided by an Apache Indian Reservation vehicle.  It appears the accident occurred in poor visibility with rain and sleet and she was hit when she attempted a U-turn in the path of the on-coming truck.  The accident occurred only a few hundred yards for the emergency medical center in Pinetop, Arizona but she was trapped in the car for more than an hour.  Like her first husband, she died in the hospital from a massive skull fracture and other internal injuries.  According to her wishes her body was cremated.  Some of her ashes were buried on her property in Show Low and on the property of her sister Elinor Stockton in Winslow, Arkansas.  The rest were put into the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, California.

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 Children of Vivian and Clara Wall

Arthur Arlie Wall was born to Vivian and Clara in Wadsworth, Ohio the youngest of Vivian's two sons. He graduated from Highland High School in Granger, Ohio then attended DeVry Technical School in Chicago studying electronics. He moved for a short time to Van Buren, Arkansas and worked as an electronics repairman in Fort Smith until he returned to Ohio. In 1964 he and a friend made a tour of the United States and Mexico. After returning to Ohio he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and received basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago. While stationed in Ireland at a navy communications site he met Florence Denise Greer of Londonderry, Northern Ireland. They were married in Londonderry. Art and Denise spent subsequent tours with the navy in Rota, Spain, Keflavik, Iceland and Norfolk, Virginia. While in Ireland and Spain Art participated in several cross-country automobile races and usually finished in the prize money.

After Arthur was discharged from the navy and the family moved to Apache Junction, Arizona. For several years he owned and operated a TV sales and service business in Apache Junction. Under his management the single store and shop soon evolved into three stores including a Radio Shack. He sold the business and took a job in Phoenix, Arizona as an electronics engineer with an aviation electronics firm. He also conducted a sideline business in the manufacture and assembly of electronics components and had several contractors working for him.

Art and Denise have four children, Stephanie Mary, Jennifer Denise, Jeffery Arthur and Heather Marie Wall.  Stephanie married Lewis Burnham and has two children, Philip Roy Burnham and Chelsie Denise Burnham.  Jennifer attended the University of Arizona in Tucson where she earned a degree in biology.  She moved to the Los Angeles area and worked for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and then Saddleback Hospital in Los Angeles.  She married Tracy Scott Maziek in Laguna Beach, California.  Twins Jeffery Arthur and Heather Marie Wall were born in Mesa, Arizona.  Both graduated from Red Mountain High School with honors and the University of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff.

Ronald Nevin Wall the eldest son was born in Wadsworth, Ohio.  Soon after Vivian's death, his father Reason Wall, applied for legal custody of his sons. Vivian was filing for a divorce before his death and since the boys' mother was out of state the judge granted the petition.  In 1947 Vivian's sister Clara and and her husband Platt Coolman took Ronald and Art to live with them.  Platt died suddenly of a heart attack on the night of October 11, 1949.  After Platt's death Clara and the boys moved back to the Wall farm and lived there for over a year.  Clara met Delsworth Worthy Bridgman of Sharon Center and they were married in 1951. The family moved to Sharon Center not far from the Wall farm.

            In 1959 Ronald left Ohio and moved to Van Buren, Arkansas to be with his mother and half-brother Mike.  He graduated from Van Buren High School.  The following autumn he attended Draughon's Business College in Oklahoma City studying drafting and technical illustrating.   That summer Ronald returned to Ohio and joined the Air Force.  He returned home to Van Buren, Arkansas on leave before he was shipped out to Japan and met Carolyn Sue Whitsett of Fort Smith.  They were engaged shortly before Ronald left for Japan. They were married in Fort Smith, Arkansas when Ronald returned from Japan after more than a year overseas. 

            During twenty years in the Air Force Ronald was stationed at Goodfellow AFB, Texas; Wakkanai, Japan; Kelly AFB, Texas; Khorat AFB, Thailand; Brooks AFB, Texas;  Brindisi, Italy; Heraklion, Crete (Greece), and Fort George G. Meade near Washington, D.C. Except for his assignment at Goodfellow AFB and his tours in Japan, Greece and Thailand, his family accompanied him for most of his assignments.  Ronald retired from the Air Force in 1981. 

           Ronald went to work for the State of Arizona as a computer programmer where he worked for two and half years.  Next he worked for The Prudential (Insurance) Company and IBM.  Ronald was "out sourced" from Prudential to IBM but IBM transferred his seniority with Prudential enabling him to retire from IBM with fifteen years of service. He and Sue lived in Fort Smith, Arkansas for five years before buying property near Florence, Arizona where they now live. 

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Children of Ronald and Carolyn Sue Wall

Bruce Edward Wall was born at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.  He completed high school in Mesa, Arizona and attended Al Collins School of Design in Tempe, Arizona and also a course in personal computers with a business college in Phoenix.  He married Laura Marie Crowe in Mesa and they had two children, Michael and Ashley, before they were divorced.  Second, he married Nancy Ann Johnson in Phoenix, Arizona.  Bruce and Nancy had two children, Jessica and Dana.   Bruce and Denise Weihe were married in Mesa. They have a daughter, Nichole.  Bruce is an excellent musician and since he was a teenager has played guitar with various bands in the Phoenix area.  He had a keen interest in marine biology since he was a child has a scuba diving certificate.  He worked for several years in the retail battery business and has managed stores for two different companies that specialize in batteries.  He currently works for Batteries Plus in Mesa which sells batteries of all types and is the store manager.  Bruce has a web site dedicated to the southern rock band Lynard Skynard and all things southern. He is personally acquainted with members of the Lynard Synard band and other southern rock bands. He is a personal friend of George McCorkle, the founder of the Marshal Tucker Band. Denise was born at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska and came to Arizona from New York and New Jersey. 

Children of Bruce Wall

  1. Michael Wade Wall, born in Florence, Pinal County, Arizona.

  2. Ashley Lillian Sue Wall, born in Phoenix, Arizona.

  3. Jessica Sue Wall, born  in Mesa, Arizona.

  4. Dana Louise Wall, born in Mesa, Arizona.

  5. Nichole Adrianna Wall, born in Mesa, Arizona.

 

Tonya Michelle Wall was born at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.  She completed high school in Mesa, Arizona.  She married first Darren Earl Wills in Apache Junction, Arizona and they were divorced after three years.  She married Joseph Anthony Madia in Mesa. Tonya has managed apartments in Mesa, Chandler and Gilbert, Arizona.  She has worked for State Farm and Liberty Mutual as an insurance agent.  In about 1994 she was approached by a talent agency to perform as a model in various locations in the Phoenix area.  Later she won a first place prize as a beauty contestant.  This led to small parts in Tom Cruise's movie "Jerry McGuire" filmed largely in Tempe, Arizona then a Luke Perry movie "Lethal Invasion" filmed entirely in Mesa and shown on ABC TV.  A few months later she was in a Martin and Charlie Sheen movie. The leading entertainment critic in Phoenix gave her an excellent review for her staring role as Bella in "Lost in Yonkers" at the Desert Stages Theater in Scottsdale, Arizona.  She met her husband Joey through their work at Desert Stages.  In 1998 Joey and Tonya collaborated on writing and producing the "Think It Through Review" for the State of Arizona dealing with teenage pregnancy. It played in theaters and schools all over the state.   Tonya and Joey run a theatrical school for kids. Joey is a book editor for a New York publishing firm, a writer, director and actor.  He is a native of New Jersey and was born in Rota, Spain while his father was stationed with the U.S. Navy at Rota.  The family currently lives in New Jersey. The two youngest children, Jeremy and Jolie both have booking agents and seemed destined to a career in acting.

Children of Tonya Michelle Madia 

  1. Daniel Ryan Wills, born in Mesa, Arizona lives with his maternal grandparents in Arizona.

  2. Jeremy Nevin Madia, born in Mesa, Arizona.

  3. Jolie Anne Madia, born in Mesa, Arizona.

 

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Ronald N. Wall
Copyright © 1999. All rights reserved.
Revised: 09 May 2011