Published on April 29, 2026 3:50 pm
Last Updated on April 29, 2026 3:50 pm
Paul L. Burton, 90, of Toledo, IL passed away at 6:14 pm on Monday April 28, 2026, at his residence surrounded by his family.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday May 5, 2026, at the Mullen Church in rural Montrose. Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Monday May 4, 2026, at the Barkley Funeral Chapel in Toledo. The burial will be in the Mullen Cemetery with Military Rites by the Cumberland County Veterans.
Paul was born on July 19, 1935, in Neoga, IL to Thurl and Nellie (Prince) Burton. He married Jessie Lawhorn on February 7, 1958. She preceded him in 2014.
Survivors include daughters Sheila (Tom) Fritts and Karen Sue Stone; sister Faye Welch; 12 grandchildren, 25 great grandchildren, and 11 great-great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Jessie, son Rick Warfield; foster son David Stone; daughter Sharon Seeley; brothers Lester, Thurl Jr, Henry, Gilbert, Carl, Marion, and Jack Burton; sisters Eunice Starwalt, Vivian Cross, Maxine Cather, Joan Cross, and Lucille Starwalt; three grandchildren, and one great grandchild.
Paul served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was the owner/operator of Burton Tree Service for 50 years and also worked for Blaw-Knox in Mattoon, IL for several years. Paul was a member of the Greenup VFW Post 4598 and the Toledo American Legion 764. Family was everything to him. Alongside his late wife, Jessie, he opened his home and heart to more than 400 foster children over the years, never turning anyone away. He found joy in life’s simple pleasures, hunting mushrooms, training horses, and tinkering with his tractors. Paul took great pride in his tree work, always honoring the beauty of nature. Known as the family jokester, he had a nickname for every child and a way of making everyone feel special. You could often find him on his front porch, watching the birds and squirrels, and listening to the rain on the tin roof of the home he built with his own hands!
Memorials can be made to the Mullen Church.
Online condolences can be expressed at www.barkleyfuneralchapels.com