Jeanie Burton

Jeanie Ruth Overby Burton, age 81, passed away on May 4, 2018. But from October 1, 1936 until that day, she lived a life full of love.

Jeanie Ruth was born in Mountainaire, New Mexico to her parents, Samuel Overby and Ethel Hewett Overby. She would become their eldest child of eight. On December 24th, 1953, she eloped to Carlsbad, New Mexico and married B.E. Burton. She raised three children with B.E. over their sixty-four year marriage. She worked alongside her husband for many years as his go-for, served as the Food Director for Buena Vista ISD in Imperial, Texas and lastly, became the church secretary for Immanuel Baptist Church in Monahans. She served the community as a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and as the director of the Pecos Valley Area Association of WMU. But above all of her many jobs and roles, she was a caretaker. She took care of and prayed for anyone around her that she felt needed it. Which was everyone.

Family and friends meant the world to Jeanie. She was always the first to help, the first to comfort, and the first to offer encouragement or a stern warning, whichever she thought you needed. She never shied away from a challenge or hard work, from working the fields as a child to mechanic work with B.E. or raising goats, sheep, cattle, and rabbits. She was never idle, and made sure you had something to do too, if you were with her. But somehow, with Jeanie, it rarely felt much like work. She sang and hummed hymns as she went about her day and took joy in teaching and learning. She earned her GED in her 50s, and her computer skills were better than plenty of people half her age. She taught many of us crocheting, bookkeeping, baking, the power of prayer, and the value of hard work and dimes.

Jeanie could often be found in one of three places: her kitchen - baking pies and hot rolls, doing dishes (always by hand, using the dishwasher as a drying rack), or drinking coffee. Her favorite chair - reading the bible, shelling pecans, or crocheting. Or at church - teaching, serving, praying, and singing.

In her final years, Jeanie slowly slipped away from us. Dementia stole her away as her mind turned inward. But her sweet and sassy self was always there, just below the surface, ready to offer a quick-witted comment, a song to her newborn great-grandbaby, or a pinch on the back when she hugged you goodbye.

Jeanie is gone but her memory will live on a long time. Jeanie's eighty-one years of love shared with the world created a lifetime of memories with family and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents, Samuel and Ethel Overby, her brothers, Jerry Overby, Robert Overby, and Kenneth Overby, sisters Barbara Thomas and Judy Williams, son-in-law Edward Russell, and her son, B.E. Burton, Jr. Jeanie is survived by her husband of sixty-four years, B.E. Burton, her children, Barbara Russell and Nancy Sipes and husband Kevin, daughter-in-law Pat Burton, grandchildren Jeff Burton and wife Trish, Kevin Burton and wife Tabitha, Casey Smith and husband Shane, great-grandchildren, Jessica Herreid, Colton Burton, Dillon Burton and wife Summer, Brooke Burton, Payton Burton, Devin Burton, Adalyn Smith, and great-great grandchildren Braylee Goble and Kalyn Goble.

If you'd like to help us remember Jeanie, visitation with the family will take place May 11th, from 6 to 8 pm at Harkey Funeral Home in Monahans, Texas. Funeral services will follow on Saturday, May 12th at 11 am at Immanuel Baptist Church in Monahans, Texas with Brother Larry Bennett officiating. Jeanie will be laid to rest in the Adams Family Cemetery in Coleman County.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Ward County Senior Citizens Center, 205 East 4th Street, Monahans, TX 79756.

Jeanie will be greatly missed and the world lost one of its kindest people with her death. But her legacy of love will live on is all of us whose lives she touched so deeply.

Services are under the direction of Harkey Funeral Home in Monahans, Texas.

Visit our website harkeyfunerals.com to sign the guestbook or leave the family a personal note.

Visitation

Visitation

Harkey Funeral Home
210 S. Allen
Monahans, TX  79756
Friday, May 11, 2018
6:00 pm ~8:00 pm

Service

Funeral Service

Immanuel Baptist Church
200 S Ursila St
Monahans, TX  79756
Saturday, May 12, 2018
11:00 AM

Cemetery

Adams Cemetery
Coleman County, TX