The Celebration of Life for William Burton Sr.

William Burton Sr., 84, of Shaker Heights, Ohio, was called home to be with the Lord on May 11, 2022, surrounded by his family.

He was born to parents Robert Burton and Anna (née Marshall), on January 4, 1938, in Marshalltown, Iowa. He was the youngest and only boy of five children. William graduated from Marshalltown High School on June 2, 1955 where he enjoyed running track and playing football.

He enrolled at Iowa Wesleyan College until he decided to enlist into the Marine Corps on September 8, 1958 and was stationed in San Diego, California as part of Platoon #289. He performed coding as a Unit Diary Clerk until he requested military mass and granted an early release in June 1961. He re-enrolled at Iowa Wesleyan College and received his Bachelor of Arts degree on August 7, 1962.

William moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1964 where he delved into a number of interests and activities such as becoming an insurance agent, selling shoes and Social Work. William met the love of his life, Shirley (née Savage) after a friend and coworker arranged a blind “meet and greet” in January 1967. After a whirlwind romance, the two solidified their love through marriage less than eight months later on August 26, 1967. To this union, two beautiful children were born, Shari Dionne Brazile and William Burton, Jr.

Soon after marriage, William acknowledged his calling to shape the lives of young children and became a teacher with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District where his wife was also a teacher. William went back to school and earned his Master of Education from Cleveland State University on September 2, 1977.

William initially retired as an educator in 1993 from the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, however decided to return to the classroom to teach for approximately an additional ten years.

In addition to going back to teaching, he acquired his real estate licensure which allowed him to build his portfolio by purchasing homes and selling property for his clients, therefore enabling him to invest in a number of diverse stocks. His desire for financial growth was evident by his vision board poster which consistently highlighted $1,000,000,000.

William always loved sports, and particularly baseball. Watching Major League Baseball (MLB) wasn’t enough! As a result, he became an umpire for baseball and softball through the Cleveland Youth Organization. He also officiated middle school and high school girls’ volleyball through the Ohio High School Athletic Association, which he continued until October 2021.

Additionally, William pursued other interests in tax preparation, and became a H&R Block Tax Preparer. He was also passionate about voting rights and was recognized and promoted from being a poll worker to being an on-site Supervisor at his assigned polling locations.

William enjoyed going to the Warrensville Heights Family YMCA. You would think that it would be to work out, however his favorite past time to pursue there was to play the card game Bid Whist. When he sat down to play, get ready for a hearty game including lots of banter!

William was a very devoted father and grandfather. His children and grandchildren always came first. He did everything he could to support his three beautiful granddaughters, Shamari, Sheridan, and Jayda.

William was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Anna, and sisters Dell Buck, Mamie Spencer, and Mildred Watkins.

William leaves to cherish his memory his wife of 54 years, Shirley, his daughter Shari Brazile, son William Burton, Jr., granddaughters Shamari Brazile, Sheridan Brazile and Jayda Burton, sister Lillie Belle Davis and a host of relatives and friends.