Harold George Burton was born Feb. 7, 1941 in St. James, Missouri to Clyde and Loretta Burton and passed away on March 5, 2026 at the age of 85 years.
He gave his life to the Lord at age nine in a town revival at the high school.
Before school, Harold worked at the post office beginning at age 12. After school, he delivered the town newspaper. He also mowed yards and helped his grandpa at the MFA. These jobs helped him clothe himself and enabled him to buy gifts for his family at Christmastime.
Later he worked with highway construction on I-44, in the Kansas hay fields and in the service department of Hutcheson Ford.
He excelled at many sports including baseball, basketball, fast pitch softball, bowling and golf. He grew to be 6’4” and his height and skill provided an opportunity for a full basketball scholarship to Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri. His high scoring helped the team advance to the national tournament for the first time in school history. At SBU, he had made lifelong friends, fell in love with his wife Jo, and solidified his life’s foundation in Christ. The university later gave him the honor of the Life Service Award and inducted him into their Athletic Hall of Fame for basketball. After his collegiate career, he refereed high school basketball for over 17 years (along with mentoring other referees), bowled a perfect 300 game, hit three holes-in-one, and played on a traveling fast pitch softball team.
He worked for State Farm Insurance for over 40 years, spending most of those years at the corporate office in Bloomington, Illinois but also worked in Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
He also served as an usher and deacon at Eastview Christian Church and Calvary Baptist Church in Normal, Illinois.
He was preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, John and Willette Heuer; sister, Jean Clark; brothers-in-law, Charles Mayberry, Larry Clark, Mike Derryberry and Max Appleton.
He is survived by his wife, Jo; children, Natalie and Scott; sisters, Kay Mayberry, Shirley Derryberry and Bonnie (Kevin) Taylor; sisters-in-law, Janey (John) Childers and Joni Appleton; other relatives and friends.
No services were held.
Arrangements under the direction of the Jones Funeral Home in St. James, Missouri.
