Burton D. Hammons

Burton Dillard Hammons passed away from this life into eternal life with Jesus Christ on June 8, 2015, two days after his 96th birthday. He was our beloved and cherished brother, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.

Burton was born in Cherokee County on June 6, 1919 to Harrison Henry Hammons and Lottie Ann George Hammons. He married the love of his life, Dorothy Louise Williams on October 15, 1945. She preceeded him in death on October 26, 2012, after 67 years of marriage. Also waiting for him in Heaven were his parents; grandson Andrew Robert White; brother Paul Cameron Hammons; sister-in-law Elsie Wilburn Adams; brother-in-law Braxton P. “Junnie” Williams; and his parents-in-law B.B and Pauline Williams.

He is survived by his sister, Maxine Stephenson; daughter and son-in-law Ann and Robert White; son and daughter-in-law Donald and Marsha Hammons. Grandchildren are Alisha and Clay Weaver, Leigh Anne and Kyle Leinen, Christopher Hammons and fiancé Krista Lance, and Kim and Greg Longoria. Even in his last days, his adored great-grandchildren made his eyes light up. They are Jack, Kate, Ben and Charlie Weaver; Olivia and Luke Leinen; Lauryn, Sophia, and Isabella Longoria. Also, surviving him are his beloved sisters and brothers in law: Faye Williams, Joe and Lufawn Williams, Cecil and Jeannie Williams, and many nieces and nephews.

Next to his family, his proudest accomplishment was serving his country during World War II as a US Marine. He served as a First Lieutenant, and was a pilot of the F4U Corsair fighter plane. Following the war, he and Dorothy settled in Houston where he worked in the ice cream business. For many years, he was a co-owner of Sun Valley Ice Cream in the Heights with his brother and sister-in-law, Joe and LuFawn Williams. After retiring, he worked for 13 years for Texas Hobby Auto Auction before finally retiring at the age of 87.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the staff at the Hampton at Meadows Place, for the kind, compassionate and loving care that you gave our Pop. He was a strong, dignified, intelligent, kind, and hard-working man who was the personification of integrity. We will miss him every day until we meet again.

The funeral service will be held at Forest Park Westheimer on Thursday, June 18, 2015, at 2:00 p.m., with visitation beginning at 1:00 p.m. Instead of flowers, memorials may be made in Burton’s name to the Wounded Warrior Project, P. O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas-66675, or to the charity of your choice