Charles Pierce Burton II

Sandy was born on April 30, 1935 to Mary Elizabeth Bobb Burton and Malcolm Vreeland Burton in Aurora, Illinois. He was raised in Bethesda, MD where he attended St. Alban’s School for Boys. There he was a choirboy for The Washington Cathedral Boys Choir, graduating in 1954.

He continued his education at Cornell University earning a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1958. He was an active member of Kappa Sigma fraternity, holding several officer positions during his time there.

While at Cornell he met Barbara Baltzel. They were married at Annabel Taylor Chapel at Cornell on September 5, 1959. After graduation he began working for AT&T and his training program took them all around the northeast. They moved to Chevy Chase, MD, before moving to Allendale, NJ. They lived in Allendale for 12 years before settling in Lebanon, NJ for the next 45 years. They moved to Centerville, Ohio in February 2023.

Sandy held a variety of positions with AT&T. His initial training included working on the actual phone lines. The majority of his time was spent doing programming, working on billing, and problem-solving computer issues. He retired early, and then immediately started consulting back at his same job with AT&T.

The Episcopal Church was an integral part of his life. He attended Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC, Church of the Epiphany in Allendale, NJ and Church of the Holy Spirit in Lebanon, NJ. In NJ he sang tenor in the choirs, served on the Vestries of both churches and held multiple positions through the years including Senior Warden and Treasurer.

Sandy enjoyed many hobbies and interests. He was an avid railfan, taking photos of trains and writing articles for train magazines for most of his adult life. He had a love of baseball, regularly cheering on his Yankees, and playing softball (catcher) with work leagues. He also coached many of his daughters’ sports teams. He enjoyed birding, had multiple birdfeeders, and regularly participated in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology bird counts. You could frequently find Sandy in the backyard caring for his vegetable garden. Sandy was an amateur photographer; in addition to trains, he photographed birds, nature, and the family over the years. He was actively involved with and served on the board, including serving as chairman, of Good News Home for Women in Flemington, NJ for many years.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Barbara, daughters Lisa Burton (Christopher Vincenty) and Judith Gaines (Gregory), and grandchildren Rachel Gaines (James Griebler), Laura Gaines (Robert Wagner), Chloe Vincenty, Pierce Vincenty, and Eli Jones.

He was predeceased by his parents, Malcolm V. Burton (1960) and Mary B. Burton (1980), daughter Lynn M. Jones (2020), and brother Malcolm B. Burton (2024).

A memorial service will be held on August 2, 2025 at 10 a.m. at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Dayton, Ohio. A service and burial will be held at Church of the Holy Spirit in Lebanon, NJ on a future date.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Sandy’s name may be made to Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton https://www.ohioshospice.org/give/#donatetoday