Kay Ann Thorson Walton passed away peacefully in her sleep in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Ascension Day (May 14, 2026) at the age of 91. Ann was born in Wichita, Kansas in 1934, the daughter of George and Mern Thorson. She lived in St. Paul, Minnesota for more than 50 years and adored her adopted hometown and her friends and neighbors.

Ann earned degrees from the University of Denver (BA) and the University of Minnesota (PhD). She was a Fulbright Scholar and had a lifelong passion for international relations and foreign policy which developed during her undergraduate years when she was an office assistant to Josef Korbel to help pay for college. This passion kindled her love of international travel.

Ann was an architectural historian, curator, and art consultant. She was best known for her book Ferdinand Boberg, Architect: The Complete Work, published by MIT Press in 1994 for the Swedish Museum of Architecture. This volume developed from her doctoral dissertation, and MIT Press described the book as the first comprehensive scholarly study to place the work of Swedish architect Ferdinand Boberg in an international context. Additionally, she wrote or co-wrote myriad catalogs, collection profiles, and monographs.

Early in her career, Ann worked as a curator at the Denver Art Museum. She subsequently worked as a curator at the Minnesota Museum of Art, and with private art collections, including the Burlington Northern Railroad collections. The Minnesota Historical Society holds the Ann T. Walton papers.

During her half-century in St. Paul, Ann was active in several clubs and organizations, especially The New Century Club of St. Paul, The Committee for Foreign Relations, The Schubert Club, and the Minnesota Guitar Society. Ann loved to entertain; her dinner parties are fondly recalled by the many who shared her table. She was preceded in death by her husband Matt S. Walton Jr., and will be sorely missed by her family, friends, and neighbors.

A celebration of her life will be held at St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church (60 Kent St N, St. Paul, MN 55102-2232) on 27 June. Service:10:30am - 11:00am.  Reception 11:00-12:00pm. Donations or remembrance gifts should be directed to the support of the people of Ukraine.