George was born on June 11, 1939 to Floyd and Evelyn Burton in the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon. George had a wonderful childhood filled with lots of love and great memories. He attended Alameda Grade School and graduated from Grant High School in 1957. After high school George and his three best friends proudly joined the Oregon National Guard. Together they left for boot camp the day after graduation and years later they still told stories of their venture.
On December 20, 1958, George married Linda Canucci. They shared 60 years of marriage together and had 2 daughters: Cheryl Lynn Burton Klimper and Susan Marie Burton, who both reside in the Portland area; Two grandchildren Matthew and Michelle Guynn who reside in the Sacramento area; One sibling Betty McAllister who resides in the West Linn area and many cousins, nieces and nephews who he loved dearly.
George started his over 30-year career with Glaser Bros. in Portland which later became Coremark, a wholesale distribution company. He began working night shift in the warehouse but soon after was promoted to Salesman. His loyalty and dedication to the company landed him several promotions over years leading him to his highest promotion as President of the company. George would always say he looked forward to Monday mornings to plan his week. At the age of 50, George retired from Coremark and became a cattle rancher.
He and Linda purchased a ranch in Yoder, Oregon and named it the B-5 Ranch. He purchased 5 registered polled Hereford heifers; through the years he averaged 80 a head. George and Linda worked together and became real ranchers.
George's desire to be a cattle rancher started in his youth. He spent his summers in Long Creek, Oregon on his aunt Mabel's ranch. After 15 years, George retired from ranching and became an avid golfer.
George purchased a winter condo at The Lake's Country Club in Palm Desert, California where he and Linda spent 16 winters having the time of their lives. George loved golfing. He would golf 3 days a week with his golfing buddies. He and Linda met and developed many relationships with dear friends and always felt blessed to spend time together in their winter condo which they sold in May 2019.
In the late 1960's, George purchased a cabin near Mt. Hood where the whole family learned to ski together. He also loved to fish and was able to fish in most of the lakes in Oregon. Some of his favorite places were in the Bend area and near the Mt. Hood National Forest.
He also went on horseback trips to Canada to hunt for bears. Although, he never shot one George would say he just loved being out in nature and living like a real cowboy. He had two horses "Lady" and "Sparky". He did Team Penning for many years on Sparky.
George loved sports especially college football and basketball. George was also an animal lover. He admired their unconditional love and loyalty. The family always had a dog and at least one cat.
George loved his family foremost. Linda was his soul mate. He impowered his daughters by encouraging them to be self-reliant. He provided them the opportunity to attain their higher education. He was a loyal friend. He was a man of passion and lived his life to the fullest.
"Happy trails to you, until we meet again".
If you're planning to attend his celebration please RSVP to Linda