Rosemary Bean Burton

1931 - 2017

Rosemary Bean Burton obituary, 1931-2017, Provo, UT

Rosemary Burton Obituary

Rosemary Bean Burton
April 12, 1931-April 14, 2017
Rosemary Bean Burton, 86, of Provo, Utah, formerly of La Grande, Oregon and Boise, Idaho, moved on from this life to her next adventure on April 14, 2017.
Rosemary was born in La Grande on April 12, 1931, daughter of Walter A. and Rose Ellis Bean. She attended Ackerman School and graduated from La Grande High School in the class of 1949. She matriculated at Eastern Oregon College and transferred to Brigham Young University, where she managed the textbook department of the bookstore and graduated with a B.S. in the composite business major, with honors, in 1953. In the mid-1980s she completed secondary teaching certification at Boise State University. She also participated in reading groups and classes offered through BSU, the American Association of University Women, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She always sought avidly to learn.
After graduating from college Rosemary worked in Union and Wallowa counties as a State of Oregon caseworker and welfare administrator. Later she worked for the Boise School District and then BSU.
In 1955, Rosemary married Jack Richard Burton in La Grande; their marriage was later sealed in the Los Angeles temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After brief stints elsewhere, Rosemary and Jack settled in La Grande, which was their home until they moved to Boise in 1972. Over the decades they and their four children spent many happy vacations at Wallowa Lake, Oregon and Payette Lake, Idaho. In recent years they have lived in Provo.
Rosemary loved travel. After high school graduation, she and two friends traveled to New York City. She took her children to Washington, D. C. and New York, first by train, later by plane. In her fifties she traveled Europe by train with a daughter and a friend. In retirement, she and Jack took cruises with friends to Central America, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, and Australia and Southeast Asia. Long-time members of the President's Club at BSU, they attended BSU football games all over the western U.S. They spent many weeks in Cancun with friends and family.
Rosemary followed her conscience. A lifelong member of the LDS Church, she served others in countless ways as a teacher and in compassionate service. The consummate family member, she cared for relatives who were elderly or ill, attended performances and graduations, and could be relied upon always. .A committed citizen and informed voter, she served the communities she lived in quietly: volunteering in schools, providing transportation to seniors, tutoring a refugee family, volunteering at BSU's Morrison Center, and helping with public elections.
Rosemary's desire to experience life was contagious, and she brooked no obstacles. When she broke her leg skiing in her thirties, she continued to drive a car with a clutch while it mended. In her late sixties she toured Xi'an, Beijing, and the Great Wall days after getting out of a walking cast, then went to Utah to complete a 21 mile pioneer trek. After long recuperation from back surgery she went to London for theater and museums. At 85, she danced with her son at a granddaughter's wedding. She was always ready to venture forth.
From her example we have learned to savor books, ask good questions and find good answers, laugh, treat friend and stranger with compassion and interest, and seize the day. We are profoundly grateful to be her family and will always benefit from her love and wisdom.
Rosemary is survived by her husband, Jack, of Provo; their children and their spouses, Stacy Burton, of Reno, Nevada, Lisa Burton Pabst, of Portland, Oregon, Steven and Jeane Erickson Burton, of Provo, and Sally Burton Welton and Boyd Welton, of Riverton, Utah; and their grandchildren and their spouses, Lauren Pabst Ayala and Mario Ayala, of Salt Lake City, Utah, Jocelyn Pabst and Davis Einolf, of Middleton, Wisconsin, Daniel Pabst, of Portland, Melissa Burton, of Provo, Miriam Burton, of Provo, Sarah Welton Baird and Kyle Baird, of Mesquite, Texas, and Tanner, Benjamin, and Hayden Welton, of Riverton. She is also survived by her siblings and their spouses, Ruth E. Bean, of Bellevue, Washington; Walter E. and Viola H. Bean, of Brentwood, Tennessee; and Vern E. and Carol A. Bean, of Frederick, Maryland; by nieces and nephews; and by dear friends. She was preceded in death by her brother John E. Bean, of Bellevue, and her sister Linda L. Bean, of Spokane, Washington.
Our thanks to the professional staff of Courtyard at Jamestown and Brighton Hospice for the compassionate care they have provided.
In the summer there will be a celebration of life in Oregon. We welcome memories and anecdotes about Rosemary; please send to [email protected] and we will post to a site celebrating her life. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to one of her alma maters.

Published by Idaho Statesman on Apr. 23, 2017.
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3 Entries

My deepest sympathy to the family, of a very lovely lady, Rosemary. I was a member of AAUW Boise Branch, with her and remember her well, as one that was always there for support and to give a helping hand. She was very ambitious and lived life to the fullest. She was an inspiration to many and it was a pleasure to know her. May she rest in peace and God Bless you all at this sad time, of loss. Sincerely, Dixie L. Hunt Robinson

Dixie Hunt Robinson

July 8, 2017

Such a lovely tribute, such a wonderful life! My sympathies to your family.

Lisa Rouse

April 27, 2017

Sorry for your loss may you draw comfort from Gods word at HOSEA 13:14 L Ohio

April 25, 2017

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