Jean Burton

Jean Burton, 96, peacefully passed away at 9:40 a.m. on Thursday, October 21, 2021, with family by her side at Miller’s Assisted Living in Plymouth.

Born in Elwood, Indiana on June 12, 1925, Jean was the daughter of Herman O. Morris and Esther Gladys (Coe) Morris Ferguson. She graduated from Wendell L. Willkie High School in Elwood, Indiana.

Jean was raised by her grandparents, Alonzo “Lon” and Alice Althea Morris and her uncles, Hubert and Wilmer Morris. On April 15, 1944, Jean married her high school sweetheart, Gerald (Jerry) O. Burton. With this union came six children. They would move to Monterey, Indiana where Jerry accepted his first teaching and coaching job in the local high school, until the family moved back to Elwood to continue his career. After Jerry’s retirement, the couple would move to the area where they purchased their retirement home on Dixon Lake in Plymouth.

All through supporting her husband and raising six energetic children, Jean was a loving housewife, and a proud, caring, dedicated mother. When the kids got older and Jean needed “her time”, she took on a couple jobs at Moser Jewelers and Pizza King in Elwood.

Jean was a great cook, played the piano by ear, and always enjoyed entertaining neighbors and friends. Whether they dropped by after ballgames, on holidays, or for no reason at all, they could always expect to find a listening ear, something to eat, and/or a group sing-along at the Burton home. Jean loved clothes and fashion. She never left the house before she had a great outfit, makeup done and hair in place because she always wanted to look her best. She was deeply rooted in her faith and attended Monterey United Methodist Church and Grace Methodist Church in Elwood. Above all, her family was her main focus and greatest accomplishment.

Jean had a charm about her and while very soft spoken, demonstrated a strong determined spirit. She never knew a stranger and modeled to her family what it means to take life on its own terms.

She is survived by her children: John R. (Kathy) Burton of Roanoke, IN, Marsha L. Harmon of Encinitas, CA, Beth A. (Joe) Davis of Manhattan Beach, CA, and Kelly J. (Harv) Janicki of Aliso Viejo, CA; son-in-law, Don Good of Ft. Wayne; grandchildren: Brandi, Chris, Kate, Brett, Chadd, Bristyn, Allie, Joe, Ben, Nate, Lacey and Gabriel; eight great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband Jerry in 2009; daughters Joy D. Good and Barbara J. Weichselfelder in 2010; and siblings: Bud, Ann, and Carolyn.

Family burial will be in the New Oak Hill Cemetery, Plymouth, Indiana. Memorial services will be held at a later date.

Memorial contributions can be made to Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 28 West 44th Street, Suite 609, New York, NY 10036.