Dr. Walter Lewis "Bud" Eaton, Jr.of Etna, passed away on Tuesday March 8th, 2011 of a malignant brain tumor at the age of 77. He was born April 14th, 1933 in Kingston, PA to Walter Lewis Eaton and Ruth Shaw Eaton.

He was a graduate of Forty Fort High School in Pennsylvania, Franklin and Marshall College, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He interned at the Graduate Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and did his residency in Radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania where he later trained in Therapeutic Radiology. Between 1964 and 1966 he served with the Navy at Chelsea, MA as a Radiologist in Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Therapy. Upon leaving the service he returned to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania as an Associate Professor of Therapeutic Radiology.

In 1972 Dr. Eaton moved to Hanover to take a position as a Radiation Oncologist at the newly established Norris Cotton Cancer Center where he remained until his retirement in 1997. He chaired the Radiation Oncology Section from 1991 to 1997 and during this time was instrumental in planning the Radiation Oncology Department at the new hospital in Lebanon. He was a faculty member at the Dartmouth Medical School throughout his career in Hanover (Assistant Professor 1972-1982, Associate Professor 1982-2008, and Associate Professor Emeritus from 2008). His primary medical interests were lung cancer, pediatric oncology, and quality assurance. As a doctor he found it personally rewarding to be able to get to know his patients and offer them hope.

Dr. Eaton was elected a fellow of the American College of Radiology, served as a past president of the New England Cancer Society, and was an active member of the New England Society of Radiation Oncologists, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the Radiological Society of North America. He also served on several national cancer cooperative groups including the Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) and the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB).

Bud served on the Hanover Planning Board from 1975 thru 1995. He was chair of the Board for ten years from 1977 until 1987, leading the Planning Board as it carefully considered innumerable subdivisions, site plans, and changes to the zoning ordinances. During his tenure as chair he achieved a remarkable degree of consensus from board members on a variety of topics during a period of great change in Hanover and the Upper Valley. He also served on the Forum of the Upper Valley and as director of the Upper Valley-Lake Sunapee Council.

Bud was enthusiastic about his various hobbies and his sheer joy drew people to him wherever he went. He loved being outdoors, from gardening to walking tours of Europe, never far from his binoculars in case a new bird for his "life list" appeared on the horizon. If he was indoors, there was music playing: jazz piano, classical, Bach, his beloved Viennese operettas, show music, big bands, folk music from around the world. Bud loved to travel and he found great pleasure in planning itineraries, especially if they included trains or driving across the United States, and upon arrival he knew the local history and the best places for food and wine. His good eye for photography, developed over a lifetime, made the subsequent slide shows of his travels a pleasure everyone could share. After his retirement Bud renewed his life long love for model trains and was an active member of the Connecticut Valley Model Railroad Club. He enjoyed all aspects of his involvement with ILEAD, where he took classes on myriad subjects, was a member the travel committee, and organized and led a train trip through the Canadian Rockies. Bud took every opportunity to learn new things, meet new friends, and to share what he'd learned with everyone drawn to him by his genuine warmth and passion.

He is survived by Katie, his wife of 54 years; his two sons and their spouses, Derek and his wife Elaine Reardon of Topanga, CA, Scott and his wife Eliana of Briarcliff Manor, NY; three grand children, James, Josh and Kate; and his brother Richard G. Eaton of Pelham Manor, NY.

A memorial service will be held on May 7, 2011 at 2:00 PM to celebrate his life at the Norwich Congregational Church in Norwich, VT. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Bud's name may be made to ILEAD, 10 Hilton Field Road, Hanover, NH 03755

Arrangements were under the direction of Rand-Wilson Funeral Home of Hanover, NH.