Who: Eleanor Yelton, 85, of White Oak, a mother of three, grandmother of six and walrus keeper.

        On display: Fifty-eight of the blubbery creatures throughout the home she shares with Halford, her husband of 61 years. (Sixty-two in November.)

Eleanor Yelton shows some of her collection of walruses (Enquirer photo) | ZOOM |

        Sweet inspiration: Mrs. Yelton's interest in walruses began about 20 years ago when she saw her niece's daughter's collection.

        “They were just darling,” she says with a grin, “Even if ugly. I had never collected anything before. Everybody thought I was nuts, but something about them just caught my eye.”

        Elusive creatures: According to Mrs. Yelton, walrus items are fairly difficult to find. (After all, there are a lot of seals to wade through.)

        But she has had a lot of help from family and friends. (They have been instructed to look for whiskers and tusks.)

        “Everyone has always kept an eye out for them,” she says. “That has been part of the fun.”

        That's entertainment: Her collection has also been the source of a great deal of good-natured fun.

        “One time we went to Branson, Missouri with a crowd,” she recalls. “And we saw a great big stuffed walrus in a gift shop. Everyone teased me about it. They all said, “There's another walrus for you!”

        “So,” she says with satisfaction, “I bought it and we played with it all the way home. Later, I gave it to my youngest grandson.”

        Regrets: “Now I'm sorry I gave it to him,” she sighs. “He's older now, maybe I will ask him for it back.”

        Love offering: Mrs. Yelton's favorite walrus was a 75th birthday present from her husband. He hand carved it for her out of wood.

        “It has little white tusks and is so cute,” she says. “He worked so hard on it. He's not handy with wood at all, so I was shocked when he gave it to me.”

        Other items that she especially likes are a sun catcher and glass walrus sitting on a branch. They were gifts from her sons.

        Children, behave: Most of Mrs. Yelton's other walruses are kept in a special cabinet or on the coffee table.

        Three notable exceptions are stuffed animals that stand guard on the Yeltons' bed.

        “They're named after our kids,” she chuckles. “Tom, Doug and Patti. The girl one is pink.”

        “After I make the bed,” she explains, “I line them up and say, “Now be good kids today!”

        “They're all out of town so it makes me feel closer to them when I do that.”

        Share your prize possessions with Marsie Hall Newbold by mail c/o The Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202: e-mail: marsolete@aol.com. Please include a daytime telephone number.

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