William T. Burford Jr.

Sept. 16, 1918 - Nov. 19, 2010

Born in a small farm house on the prairie, Just north of Wichita, in Marion County , Kansas to William Thomas , Sr. and Mary Brown. A family that grew to three girls and four boys. He grew up on the small farm learning the task of producing most of their own consumables, taking care of the animals, plowing the fields with teams of horses and mules and walking two and a half miles to a country school.

His mother passed away when he was only 8 years old, He would spend a lot of time with his three aunts families. He possessed skills that help him become a natural construction equipment operator, at a time in Americas history that roads and highways were needed and new equipment was coming out rapidly with few experienced operators available. A young girl by the name of Maxine Brush, from Florence, KS came into his life and they were married on Christmas day, 1940.

They lived in a little 16 foot camp trailer, following/moving to construction projects in Kansas and Oklahoma, for a contracting company. His work was building runways for airfields at training base for the armed forces. When the first B-27 Bomber took off at the Boeing airfield in Wichita, he was there building an extension to the airfield. Then in 1943, he joined the Navy and went into boot camp with his best childhood friend. He was trained at Iowa University at Aimes Iowa as a motor machinist and served on the freight and equipment hauling LST ships in the Pacific. He was honorably discharged in 1945 and went back to construction work. Along about 1950, he was given the opportunity to be a foreman and rapidly climbed the ladder of success and recognition completing heavy highway and rail road projects, and river flood control dams and levees.

He moved his family through out New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and South Dakota. Until 1976, he implemented ideas and applied his management skills, often giving full credit to fellow workers that were "top notched, Class A "people. Moving to Western Colorado in 1978, he had had experience in deep foundation construction that helped start his business as a foundation specialty company in 1983. He contracted projects through out New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Arizona and Utah. Making clients that became good friends. He completed many projects on the eastern front when the new Denver International Airport was being built.

Working with his sons had been a life dream of his. Construction was always and at almost all times, "his game", solving problems and carrying out challenging projects. Traveling and fine dinning, music and dancing were at the top of his list of things enjoyed the most. He was never a stranger where ever he went. His sons and their families were most important to him.

He looked after his wife, Maxine until her death in 2006. From that time he worked part time in the business, running some of the equipment and raising champion tomatoes at his home where he lived alone until his passing. He was member of the Scottish-Rite of Freemasons, BPOE Elks, the Eastern Star. He was baptized with his sons in the First Christian Church. W. T. and Maxine leave behind two sons, Gordon R and Lloyd W, they survive along with six grandchildren and six great-grand children.

A funeral service will be held at 1:00 PM, Saturday, November 27, 2010 at Martin Mortuary with burial following at Orchard Mesa Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Colorado, 3090 B North 12th Street, Grand Junction, CO 81506.

Arrangements under the direction of Martin Mortuary, Grand Junction, CO.

www.martinmortuary.com