Burrell R. Ketcham

Burrell R. Ketcham
February 20, 2021
McKinney, Texas - Burrell Rodgers Ketcham passed away on Saturday, February 20, 2021 in McKinney, Texas. He was born July 16, 1938 in Temple, Texas, the first child of Wesley Ford Ketcham and Carl Lee Abigail Wharton. Wesley eventually settled his family in Fort Worth where Burrell graduated from Tremble Tech High School in 1956. He began his working career at General Dynamics, but he spent most of his career at Texas Instruments as a manufacturing manager producing computer chips. Burrell's long career with Texas Instruments management team was recognized by the highly successful Sherman Wafer Fab. His leadership played a major role in the long-term efficiency of this operation. Burrell retired after 37 years in 1997. He found ample time to spend with his family, especially the grandsons, Chris, Bryan and Tyler. He became quite involved in their growing up years. He also took up the game of golf, never playing the game as well as he wanted but, it became a way to connect with longtime friends who also enjoyed the game. Burrell spent several years volunteering with the City of McKinney as an appointee to the Building & Standards Commission. His management experience made him a valuable member. Travel became a major interest and focus of his retirement years. Burrell and his wife, Linda had already enjoyed traveling during his annual vacations but now they were able to go more often and stay away longer. He enjoyed regaling people he met with his adventures. He traveled to all 50 states, most more than once. He loved those long driving trips. Burrell lost count of the countries they had traveled to at 104. Cruising became more important as he found the spirit of international adventure. He and Linda were planning cruise number 50 for late this year. And, as a celebration of their 25th, wedding anniversary they added Antarctica to complete the travel to all seven continents. Travel became a way to spend time with his children, grandchildren, siblings, and friends. He wanted to leave memories and he accomplished that goal. The grandsons all share his love of travel and would gladly go anywhere with him. Burrell was diagnosed in 2009 with multiple myeloma and spent the rest of his life in treatment for this disease. He never let it interfere with what he wanted to do. He and Linda worked their travel around treatments or the treatments around their travel plans. He always presented a positive and cheerful face when he arrived at his chemotherapy appointments, putting everyone around him at ease. Burrell was preceded in death by his parents and by his first wife of 30 years, Carolyn Sue Shelton who was the mother of his daughter, Margie and son, Bruce. He is survived by a large and loving family of which he was the patriarch; including, his wife of 32 years, Linda Boyd Ketcham and his children, Margie Lynn (James) Rice of Sherman, Texas, Bruce Neal Ketcham of Euless, Texas and Brenda D. (Rogge) Heflin of Richardson, Texas; siblings, Larry (Chong) Ketcham of Covington, Texas, Trecia Hamlin of Rougemont, North Carolina, Jerry (Gail) Ketcham of Weatherford, Texas and Regi (Gina) Ketcham of Moffat, Texas; grandchildren, Chris Ketcham of Sherman, Texas, Bryan Ketcham of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Tyler (Amber) Watkins of Irving, Texas, Courtney (Sean) Pollaro of Denison, Texas and Kacie Rice of Denton, Texas; three great-grandsons and many nieces and nephews. A "come and go" visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home. Only a limited number of guests will be allowed to enter the funeral home facility at any one time to maintain social distancing. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at Cedarlawn Cemetery in Sherman, Texas. To convey condolences or sign an online registry, visit TJMfuneral.com.