William T. "Bill" Burton Sr

Mr. William T. “Bill” Burton Sr., age 90, of Jefferson, Georgia passed away at his son’s home in Jefferson on Wednesday May 24, 2023. Mr. Burton was the son of the late Novel Burton and the late Ethel Gray Burton. He was also preceded in death by his first wife, Sue Meade Burton, his second wife, Barbara Burton and a sister, Anne Moon.

Mr. Burton was a veteran of the United States Army serving from 1949 - 1953. After returning home, he served as a member of the Branchville Volunteer Fire Department. He began his United States Government career as a crash fireman at Andrews Air Force Base (now Joint Base Andrews). He then moved to the Walter Reed Medical Center  Fire Department, from there to the Pentagon Fire Department. He eventually joined the General Services Administration (GSA) as a fire inspector and eventually Fire Protection Engineer before retiring in 1987. During this period, he was a member of the College Park United Methodist Church where he served the church in several capacities. He was a member of the St. Albans – Birmingham Lodge A.F. & A.M. and American Legion Post 217 of College Park, MD. Mr. Burton was active in the College Park Boys club holding several positions including Equipment Director for several years. He was elected to the city council of College Park, MD representing the 6th District in 1971 and served two terms through 1975. Upon his retirement from the Federal Government, he moved to Port Orange, FL and founded Burton & Associates, an independent fire protection and inspection firm and continued his work as a consultant to the G.S.A. He retired in 2007. After moving to Florida, Mr. Burton was active in the Dunlawton Hills Homeowners Association and served as its President. He was passionate, life-long fan of the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) carrying that passion with him to Florida where he found a group of equally passionate fans that gathered every gameday to cheer on their team. Upon his move to Florida, Mr. Burton became an equally passionate fan of the Tampa Bay Rays, seldom if ever, missing his beloved Rays on TV. 

Survivors include his son and daughter-in-law, William T. “Tom” Burton Jr and Donna Burton of Jefferson, GA. Grandsons, Justin Burton (Kelly) of American Canyon, CA and SSGT John Burton US Army (Nicole Smith) of Niceville, FL. Brother, Edward Burton (Eunice) of Berwyn Heights, MD. Beloved nieces and nephews also survive.

A memorial service will be held 6:00 P.M. Friday June 2, 2023 at Gasch’s Funeral Home Chapel 4739 Baltimore Avenue, Hyattsville, Maryland 20781. The family will receive friends from 5:00 P.M. until time of service at 6:00 P.M. at the funeral home.