Roll Call Tribute

Donald Luther Burton, COL USA (Ret) 

April 14, 1935 - February 19, 2025 

Col. (Ret.) Donald Luther Burton passed away Feb. 19, 2025 in Temple TX, just shy of his 90th birthday. He will have a military burial at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen, TX.

Don is survived by his beloved wife of 30 years, Sandra F. Sutherland, of Temple, TX. He is also survived by his four daughters from his previous marriage, Hope Cunningham (husband John), Donna Deal, Ann Shuman, and Robin Fenner (husband Mark). His nine grandchildren, Erin Henry, Eric Brown, Ryan Deal, Mary Deal, Ellen Daldoss, Emily Lamprecht, Meredith Shuman, Rachel Fenner and Roy Fenner, and four great-grandchildren Penelope Williams, Rayce Shuman, Marina Daldoss, and Bjorn Deal, affectionately called him Opa. Don is survived by his two brothers, Kenneth E. Burton (wife Claire) and John D. Burton (wife Gloria), and their families. He is also survived by Sandy’s daughters, Holly Rowlette (husband Phil) and Heather Collins (husband Mike), and their families.

Don was preceded in death by his first wife, Vivian Hope Henderson Burton, and by his parents, William Dryden Burton and Frances Elizabeth Young Burton.

Don was born April 14, 1935 in Waco, TX. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1956, where he was a champion on the Fencing Team, and held leadership positions in the Corps of Cadets. He married Vivian on July 5, 1956, and the two embarked on a 35-year adventure, traveling the country with their children, as Don spent his career as a US Army Officer, retiring in 1986 as a Colonel. During his military service, Don served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1966-1968), and was also stationed in South Korea and Germany. He was posted at Fort Riley, KS, Fort Sill, OK, the US War College and the Pentagon, in Washington DC, Fort Hood, TX, and many other posts. His final assignment took him home to his beloved Aggieland, where he served as Commandant of the Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets (1983-1986). He was proud to be inducted as a Legend of Aggieland in 2001, and remained an active member of his Class of ’56 annual reunions and musters.

In addition to his military career, Don achieved a Masters Degree in Engineering (Univ. of Arizona) while serving in the military, and earned a Doctorate of Engineering from Texas A&M (1993) after retiring from the military. He married his wife, Sandy, a US Navy Captain (Ret.), in 1994 and together they made a home in Temple, TX, where he worked as an Industrial Engineer (1993-2001). Once retired from engineering, Don started an antique repair business, The Brazos Antique Doctor, where he became well known for his skills in restoring family heirlooms, and did damage repair estimates for military moving companies.

Despite the demands of work and family, Don had many hobbies and side businesses throughout his life. He was an accomplished horseman, competing, and participating in fox hunts. He was a farrier, shoeing horses to make extra money for his family. He was a farmer, growing food for the table, as well as raising horses, dogs, cattle, chickens, sheep, hay, and pecan trees. His prized possession was a 100-acre farm in Oglesby, TX that he originally bought with his father and brother, Ken, and owned outright for many years up to the end of his life, growing corn, soybeans and wheat with a farmer partner.

Don was an artist, photographer, classic car collector, BBQ master, music lover, and avid reader. He excelled at financial investing and staying informed of political news and national events. Our email inboxes will certainly be quiet on the financial and political conversations of the day. He will be very missed as a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, student, soldier, leader, and friend.

Don lived a very full life, but his family was always his top priority, and we felt his deep love for us, and for all of our extended family. As a military family, we moved a lot, but no matter where we lived, we would travel “home” to Texas regularly to visit grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Our Dad instilled in us his deep value of family, and he expressed his love of family to his dying day.

Please also see the Obituary posted in Don’s honor on the Hewitt-Arney Funeral Home website, to read details of his military career and other achievements, and to add your remembrances to the Tribute Wall.
https://www.hewettarney.com/obituaries/Donald-Luther-Burton?obId=37453339