Farmer was Monclova Twp. leader

7/19/2003

Calvin R. Tilton, who worked his 225-acre family farm in Monclova Township for nearly five decades and held several public offices in the township, including 19 years as clerk-treasurer, died Tuesday in Harborside Care Center in Swanton. He was 90.

The cause of death was not known.

Mr. Tilton will be remembered most for his kindness, and his dedication to his family, farm, and community, family members said.

“He was a caring person, and he wanted to be involved to make sure things got done,” said his daughter, Lacreta Lowe.

Mr. Tilton began operating a tractor when he was 12 years old on his grandparents' farm - on which he was born and later purchased.

He married the former Delberta Decker on March 31, 1934.

Among his many civic positions, Mr. Tilton was Monclova Township clerk from 1953 until 1972. The township was one of the first in Lucas County to institute zoning regulations in 1950. During Mr. Tilton's tenure as clerk, he handled many controversies over land-use rules, said his son James Tilton.

“He always wanted to promote the interests of the people in the township and the school district,” the younger Mr. Tilton said. “He helped develop the zoning in Monclova Township and helped it become what it is today.”

Mr. Tilton served on the Monclova Board of Education for four years, before the district was consolidated into the Anthony Wayne district. He later became secretary-treasurer of the Anthony Wayne Board of Education.

He also served as president of the Lucas County Farm Bureau, secretary-treasurer of the Lucas County Association of Township Trustees and Clerks, and zoning secretary for the Anthony Wayne Area Community Improvement Corp.

Farming and land use were major concerns of Mr. Tilton, his daughter said. In 1968, he received the “outstanding conservationist” award in Lucas County from the former Soil Conservation Service. It commended him for constructing a pond on his property along with drainage and erosion control measures.

In addition to working his farm, Mr. Tilton was a bus driver for Anthony Wayne schools for 12 years until he retired in 1972.

After retirement, Mr. Tilton and his wife moved to Sun City, Ariz., where they lived for eight years before moving to Waterville.

Mr. Tilton was a York Rite and Scottish Rite Mason and past master of his lodge.

His wife died nine years ago.

Surviving are his daughter, Lacreta Lowe; sons, James, Kenneth, and John Tilton; sisters, Marjorie Walbolt and Phyllis Aufdenkamp; 18 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren, and seven great-great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be at 11 a.m. today in Waterville United Methodist Church. The Wells Funeral Home, Waterville, is handling arrangements.

The family requests tributes to the Browning Masonic Community in Waterville or Waterville United Methodist Church.