Frances Burton

FRANCES EUGENE BURTON, KNOWN TO EVERYONE AS GENE, A LONG-TIME RESIDENT OF CHANDLER, OKLAHOMA, DEPARTED THIS LIFE IN CHANDLER, ON JANUARY 26, 2008, AT THE AGE OF 94. FRANCES WAS THE DAUGHTER OF SANFORD AND ODIE RIDGE LEACH. SHE WAS BORN IN HIGGINSVILLE, MISSOURI AND GRADUATED FROM HIGGINSVILLE HIGH SCHOOL IN 1931. ON MARCH 1, 1932, SHE MARRIED OTTO BACEL BURTON FROM SPARKS, OKLAHOMA IN HIGGINSVILLE. SHORTLY THERE AFTER THEY MOVED TO SPARKS. IN 1934, THEY MOVED TO CHANDLER AND OPENED A RADIO REPAIR AND REFRIGERATION BUSINESS. OVER THE YEARS THEY EXPANDED THE BUSINESS TO INCLUDE APPLIANCES, FURNITURE, CARPETING AND BOATS. THEY RETIRED IN 1967. GENE WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH WHERE SHE TAUGHT THE HIGH SCHOOL SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS FOR MANY YEARS AND WAS SPONSOR OF THE HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP. SHE WAS ACTIVE IN PTA AND JUNIOR MOTHER''S CLUB. GENE WAS A FIFTY-FIVE YEAR MEMBER OF CHANDLER CHAPTER #139 ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR. HER PARENTS, HUSBAND, OTTO, ONE SISTER, MARION LEE WILLARD, ONE HALF-BROTHER, SANFORD LEACH AND STEPBROTHER, EUGENE GUNN PRECEEDED GENE IN DEATH. SURVIVORS INCLUDE DAUGHTER AND SON-IN-LAW, SHARON AND JAMES L. REID OF LAWTON, OKLAHOMA, TWO GRANDAUGHTERS AND ONE GRANDSON-IN-LAW, MELISSA AND RON GRIFFIN OF INDIAHOMA, OKLAHOMA AND TRACI MCBRIDE OF ROLLA, MISSOURI; FOUR GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN, SAMUEL GRIFFIN, DAVID GRIFFIN, MACHELLE MCBRIDE, AND TIFFANI MCBRIDE; ONE STEPSISTER AND HUSBAND GILDA MAE AND JOHNNY WILLARD, SEVERAL NIECES AND NEPHEWS, OTHER RELATIVES AND A HOST OF FRIENDS