Jerry Donald Burton

Jerry’s father was a retail advertising director for Scripps Howard Co. based in New York City. Jerry graduated from Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida, in 1957. He served in the US Army, then followed his father into the newspaper business, working for Scripps Howard Co. in the advertising department of three of their newspapers in Knoxville, Tennessee, Cleveland, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. for the next 15 years.

After Scripps Howard Co. sold the Washington Daily News, he briefly worked for a paper in Passaic, New Jersey, until being recruited by the Hobby family-owned Houston Post in 1973. He served as Retail Advertising Manager then Advertising Director of The Houston Post for more than 15 years. In 1989 he moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina as Advertising Director of the Fayetteville Observer-Times until 1995. He retired and moved to Lago Vista, Texas, later returning to Houston in 2007.

Jerry was a life time Episcopalian and belonged to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Katy, Texas. He was a member of the Marketing & Distributive Education Advisory Board (state & local) for HISD, president of the Texas Newspaper Advertising Manager’s Assoc. and was involved with the Houston Symphony. He also served on the Lago Vista POA board as a member and as President; and served as President of the local chamber.

It’s said you can evaluate a man’s success, not by what he’s done personally, but how he’s developed others. Paige Laird from the Observer-Times wrote a memo to Jerry recognizing him for “unselfishly opening doors of opportunity” for others, and congratulating him on his management style.

Jerry Burton is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 25 years, Bette, and his two children Allen and Sherry whose love, support, and devotion for their father during his illness was unfailing. He is also survived by their mother, Ruth Thibodeaux and her husband Hillery.

The family wishes to express their gratitude to Jerry’s many friends and neighbors who daily visited, called, and in all ways provided support at all times. The family appreciates and is grateful for the high level of care and support given by Houston Hospice.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from six until eight o’clock in the evening on Thursday, the 3rd of March, in the Parlor of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

The funeral service is to be conducted at one o’clock in the afternoon on Friday, the 4th of March, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 5373 Franz Road in Katy, where the Rev. Mifflin Dove Jr., Rector, is to officiate.

The interment service is to follow, via an escorted cortege, at Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family respectfully requests that memorial donations in Jerry’s name be made to St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 5373 Franz Road, Katy, TX, 77493; St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 3305 Pinnacle Cove, Lago Vista, TX, 78645; Jeanette Williams Foundation, P.O. Box 281, Kemah, TX, 77565; or to Houston Hospice, 1905 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX, 77030-4123.