SPORTS OBITUARIES |
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A native of Orange, Texas, he was born to Walter Lester Burton, Sr. and John Parton Burton on September 2, 1924. He married Julia Lincecum Burton on January 18, 1948. She preceded him in death on December 20, 2007 after 59 yrs 11 months of marriage. They moved to Buna in October, 1953.
Those left to cherish his memory are his children: George Patton Burton, Christine O. Moss and Roy Clayton Burton; grandchildren: Ashley J. Burton, John C. Occaso and BayLee Burton; his brother John William “Billy” Burton, and numerous nieces & nephews.
“Big John” retired from Dupont, Orange after 30 + yrs. He loved his cows, horses, hunting & fishing and football. He was always a cattle rancher, and could be seen at the Kirbyville Auction Barn most Wednesdays and Saturdays. He owned and operated the Rocky Valley Ranch in Rocksprings, Texas for 15 yrs; he was a founding member of the Buna Bridle Club; a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason and a Shriner as well as a member of the First United Methodist Church of Buna.
Memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church of Buna or the charity of your choice. Funeral Services were Tuesday April 1, 2008 with burial in Bland Cemetery in Orange, Texas under the direction of Adams EE Stringer Funeral Home in Buna.
Published in The Beaumont Enterprise on 3/31/2008
Gloria Ann Reeves Syler was born in Cameron, Texas on October 14, 1929 to Aileen Whittington Reeves. The Whittington family were pioneers in Milam County near Val Verde, Texas and Ann spent many happy summers there. Ann grew up primarily in Louisiana where her father, Jack D. Reeves, was in the oil fields. She never went a full year to any school as they moved wherever the drilling was happening. In her junior year of high school the family moved to Houston where Ann finished high school and graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in sociology.
During the summer of 1949, Ann and a school friend went to the Lazy H Guest Ranch in Ingram near Kerrville, Texas. Here she met a cowboy named Matt Syler whom she decided, she said, at first sight would be her future husband. After a year’s courtship they were married on September 2, 1950 and moved to College Station where Matt was a senior at Texas A&M University. They lived in old army barracks. Ann frequently commented, while telling this story, that the Fighting Texas Aggie Band was her alarm clock because they practiced outside her window each morning at daylight. She was a staunch Aggie supporter in every way and swears that she sang the “Aggie War Hymn” to all four of her children while rocking them to sleep.
After Matt graduated from A&M in 1951, the couple moved to Burton, Texas to manage and develop the well known Willow Springs Ranch. Willow Springs Ranch was the leading breeder of Brangus Cattle for many years and Matt and Ann still own and breed registered Brangus 56 years later. All four Syler children were born while the couple was at Willow Springs beginning with Bentley in 1952, Jeb in 1955, Melanie in 1957, and Darla in 1960. Feliciano and Maria Cerda came to work at Willow Springs Ranch in 1957. Maria and her family have continued to be an important part of the Syler family for the last 51 years. The Sylers left Willow Springs Ranch in 1971 after 21 years and moved into their present home on property they had bought in 1965 on a GI Bill Loan from the Texas Land Commission. During that time they also started Syler Sales Management Company to manage purebred cattle sales. The business was very successful and kept the couple on the road nearly every week out of the year. For twenty-five years the company managed cattle sales from California to Florida and from Texas to Nebraska and held more than 1000 sales in all. “Miss Ann,” as the ring men at these sales called her, was a favorite of theirs as she always had the totals and averages the moment the sale was over. Miss Ann was always very proud of that fact. In keeping with her love of cattle, Ann asked for and received a unique 25th wedding anniversary present from Matt. It was a longhorn steer that she fondly named Baryshnikov because of how graceful he looked as he moved about the pasture. There are many fond memories and long standing friendships from Matt and Ann’s days in the cattle business.
Ann was also a long time member of C.B.S. (Community Bible Study) and attended every meeting until her health failed to the point she could no longer attend. In addition, she was also active in “The Walk to Emmaus” program and even got her cowboy husband involved. They both worked on many walks over the past several years and greatly influenced many lives along the way.
Matt and Ann were blessed to be able to take many trips together and Ann enjoyed every minute of traveling and buying artwork to decorate their home. The couple traveled to Israel, Europe, South America, Central America, Mexico, Canada and throughout the United States including her favorite, Alaska, where she fell in love with humpback whales. During her last trip to Alaska, Ann tried the whole trip to get a video of a whale breaching, but thought she had failed until one night back at the ranch while editing her tapes she let out a whoop that Matt could hear all the way in the bedroom. She had gotten a good shot of a breaching whale and didn’t even know it at the time.
Over the years Ann taught dance lessons, became a master stitcher (even being invited to attend the Royal School of Needlework in London, England), worked avidly at crossword puzzles, and solved a majority of questions on Jeopardy each day. She loved watching Astros baseball and was an avid reader. But her biggest treasures were her memories of “home” in Val Verde and of her family. Her legacy will live on in the lives of her children, her eleven grandchildren (Tanya Thomas, Bentley, Chris, and Kevin Syler, Matthew Syler, Ana Maria Syler, Cori and Chase Willett, Lindsie Gibson, Jamie Montecinos and Chelsie Pagan), and her six great grandchildren (Taylor, Jace, Daylon, Payne, Haylie and Makayla). Fittingly, one of her favorite traditions was calling each family member on their birthday to sing a duet with Matt of “Happy Birthday.”
Ann wrote in her Bible that her favorite verse was Romans 8:38, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” This was Ann’s prayer for herself. It is her hope that each person would come to understand and believe this scripture for themselves.
This short remembrance does not do this grand lady justice. She was so bright, so talented and so fiercely loyal to family and friends. She will be greatly missed.
Miguel N. Sanchez, 80, of Uvalde, Texas died on April 23, 2008, at Uvalde Memorial Hospital.
He was born on Oct. 14, 1927 in Sanderson, Texas to Miguel and Maria Sanchez.
He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Omedo Sanchez; and three sons, Gilbert Sanchez, Miguel Sanchez Jr. and Eddie Sanchez.
He is survived by three sons; Isabel Sanchez and wife, Martina; and Ignacio Sanchez and wife, Vinda, all of Camp Wood, Texas and Jesse Sanchez and wife, Missy of Rocksprings; seven daughters, Maria Torres of Wellington, Petra Estrada and husband, Jose, Josie Ortiz and husband, Johnny, and Poline Martinez, all of Camp Wood, Irma Sanchez and husband, Robert, and Lily Molina and husband, Raul, all of Brackettville, Texas and Linda Chapa of Del Rio, Texas; one brother, Mario Sanchez of Del Rio; one sister, Maria Angriano of Camp Wood; and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
A rosary was Friday in the Nelson Funeral Home Chapel.
Funeral services were held Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Camp Wood with the Rev. John Fiala officiating.
Interment followed in Garden of Memories Cemetery in Camp Wood.
Arrangements by Nelson Funeral Home in Camp Wood.