Eddy Lee Barton

Eddy Barton passed away on March 23, 2024, at the age of 86 in San Jose, California.

Born on August 15, 1937, in Fellows, California, Eddy grew up with his father Lorne "Lee" Barton, an oil worker and Lois LaVern Barton (née Maddux), the first female assistant manager of a Woolworths store. When he wasn't playing piano or practicing his trumpet, Eddy was exploring the desert with his dad, where they found adventure and beauty in unlikely places. Eddy liked to say that he was never bored and described his childhood as idyllic.

A proud student of UC Berkeley, he was the first person in his family to attend college. He played the trumpet in the marching band at Las Lomas High School in Walnut Creek and in the Cal marching band. While in college, he met the love of his life, Emily, on a double-blind date. Eddy and Emily described each other as soulmates, so in sync they'd often finish each other's sentences. After their wedding, Eddy and Emily bought their first house in San Jose (Almaden), California where they started a family. Together Eddy and Emily raised their two daughters, numerous Shetland Sheepdogs, shared their love of gardening, art, antiques, nature and camping at national parks.

Eddy enjoyed an early retirement at the age of 55 after a long career in management at General Motors and a brief stint working for Santa Clara County. After retirement, being a man of many talents, you'd find Eddy drawing native birds, making stained glass lamps, taking beautiful photos, creating and repairing jewelry, cooking and baking pies. Eddy gardened extensively, growing glorious tomatoes and strawberries at a community garden in Willow Glen. He contributed his energy and expertise volunteering to plant roses at the San Jose Heritage Rose Garden in the Guadalupe River Park. He also enjoyed trips to Europe, the UK, Australia, and Hawaii. Mobility became an issue later in retirement as a result of several chronic health issues, so he spent less time traveling and more time playing the piano, painting, cooking and reading hundreds of nonfiction books.

One of Eddy's passions, which started shortly after college, was studying and collecting Native American art. After several decades of study, visiting tribal areas and museums, he eventually became an expert on basketry of tribes from the western U.S. Over time, Eddy expanded his basket collection to include pottery, artifacts, beadwork, kachina dolls and other Native American art. He became an invaluable resource to others, sharing his knowledge by volunteering as an appraiser for several charities and giving talks at local schools. In 2007, Eddy was proud to be ceremonially "adopted" by the Lakota Sioux during a gathering celebrating the legacy of Chief Spotted Tail's daughter and the friendship between the Chief and Emily's relative, Colonel Henry Maynadier at Fort Laramie in Wyoming.

On March 23, 2024, Eddy joined his wife of 63 years, Emily, who had passed peacefully at home just two weeks earlier on March 10, 2024. Eddy's positive attitude, thirst for knowledge, creativity, and love of a good story will live on through his daughters and granddaughters. He is survived by his daughters, Beth Martin of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Katie Barton of Portland, Oregon; sons-in-law Ben Martin and Pepe Rafael; and granddaughters Quinn and Sydney Martin. The family would appreciate donations made to Sinte Gleska University, a public tribal land-grant university on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota: https://www.sintegleska.edu/giving