Robert W. Burton

August 9, 1934 - November 29, 2018

Robert W. Burton Pleasanton Resident Robert W. “Bob” Burton, 84, of Pleasanton, Nebraska died Thursday, November 29, 2018 at Mother Hull Home in Kearney. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at the Pleasanton United Methodist Church in Pleasanton, Nebraska. Reverend Seung Ho Park will be officiating. Interment will be held at Kearney Cemetery following the services. Visitation will be 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 4, 2018 at O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home in Kearney. Memorials are suggested to Mother Hull Home in Kearney. Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh.com. Services are entrusted to O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral and Cremation Services. Robert (Bobby) W. Burton was born August 9, 1934 at the family home near Poole in Cedar Township, Nebraska. His parents were Everett Monroe and Charlotte Lucile (Loomis) Burton. His grade school education was at the rural school, Star, District 66, a one-room school. He graduated from Pleasanton High School in 1952 where he also played baseball and basketball. Later he would be active in bowling. Upon high school graduation, he joined his father and brother, Francis, in the profession of farming. He began farming independently in the fall of 1952. He married Sharon Lea Seery on July 15, 1956 at the Methodist Church in Cairo, Nebraska. They moved to a farm a mile north of the family farm. He and his wife joined the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Pleasanton, Nebraska, where he accepted Christ as his personal Savior and was baptized in 1959. He began teaching an adult Sunday School class in 1968. He continued teaching, even as the church merged to become the United Methodist Church. Learning and teaching of the Scriptures were very important to Robert. The blessing of joy was his in doing the Lord’s work. His church responsibilities included: Chairman of the Board of Trustees for 16 years, Chairman of the Building Committee for the new parsonage in 1970, delegate to the Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1970, and church treasurer from 1974-2007. In 1966, Robert became a charter member of the Pleasanton Lions Club. Joining the Lions was a beginning to a larger and wider association of meeting many people and giving service to others. Through the Lions, he made lifelong friendships, learned to overcome his fear of public speaking, and was given the opportunity to develop his leadership skills. All this in spite of the fact that he was nearly deaf. He served in all the offices of the local club and achieved perfect attendance for 27 years. In District 38-R and 38-I, Robert held a number of offices and was on a number of committees. These included: Cabinet Secretary for 38-R District Governor from 1979-1980 and chairman of the Individual Assistance Program of District 38-I for 13 years, from 1997-2010. Robert was the recipient of the Melvin Jones Fellow award from the Lions Club International Foundation 2016-2017. Robert was Township Committeeman for the Republican Party and served as Treasurer for Cedar Township for many terms. Sharon Lea Burton, who spent the last months of her life as a patient at the Mother Hull Home in Kearney, Nebraska, passed away on February 23, 1983. Robert returned to Mother Hull Home as a member of the Board of Directors in the fall of 1983. In 1985, he began serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors and did so for the next 26 years. During that time, he led the Home in three major building projects. On August 18, 1995, Robert and Mary Lou (Bonnie) Horsley were married at the United Methodist Church in Pleasanton. They resided at the original farm where he was born. His family became larger with the addition of three daughters—Kathy, Christine, and Tamela, two sons—Rick and Rod, 19 grandchildren, and 19 great grandchildren. This larger family was a growing and rewarding experience for him, and he learned to love each one. His father and mother preceded him in death, as did his twin sisters—Irene Helen and Iva Ruth, and his brothers, Francis Everett and Kenneth David. Although Robert graduated from high school hoping to become an attorney or a veterinarian, he followed his mother’s wise advice. She encouraged him to seek out a career better suited to his abilities. He had lost his hearing at fifteen months of age due to scarlet fever. With that in mind, he went into farming determined to do the best he could. He was not only very successful in farming, he enjoyed the farm life: the newness of each day and each new season of the year. He worked through and personally grew through the many challenges of farming. The planting of the seed, growing and maturing a crop to the coming harvest, he watched and worked each season. Robert’s family, marriages, life’s work, church ministries, and volunteer work were very important to him. He gave all that was possible to each and never regretted the sacrifices made in meeting their needs. In fact, these were the blessings of his life and brought much happiness to his heart.