Jerry Wayne Burton, 88, a lifelong resident of Orange, Texas, died on August 24, 2026, at Stonewood Hospice in Port Arthur following a period of hospice care at his home.
Jerry was born in Orange, Texas, on January 9, 1938. He was the son of Clemence “Kim” Gillet Burton and Charles W. Burton. He graduated from Lutcher Stark High School in 1955, where he was a member of the Bengal Tiger Band.
Jerry had one sister, Pat-eight years his junior-and Jerry became Pat’s companion and caretaker when she was very young. Their parents were busy running family businesses, and much of Pat’s childhood was spent at her brother’s side while he tended to his household and yard chores. When she began school, Jerry walked her to her school each morning before continuing to the high school.
One of their favorite childhood activities was “playing school.” Jerry would stand at a chalkboard and teach his little sister her lessons. He may have done the job too well because by the time Pat reached fourth grade, the school asked their mother to stop the home lessons. Jerry’s excellent teaching left Pat bored with the teacher’s lessons and as a result, slightly disruptive in class; that put an end to “playing school” at home.
Jerry was an accomplished tap dancer and appeared in shows around Orange between the ages of nine and fourteen. Family members recalled that he was sometimes affectionately described as the “The Star of Orange.”
Jerry developed a lifelong love of recorded music. His collection began with old 78-rpm records discarded from the jukebox at the family café and continued through 45s, LPs, eight-track tapes, cassettes and later formats.
Pat remembers accidentally sitting on and breaking one of those early records when she was about seven years old: Frankie Laine’s Kiss of Fire with Jezebel on the B-side. More than 70 years later, this incident remained part of their family story.
Beginning in the late 1960s, Jerry was involved with the Orange Community Players (OCP) for several years. Pat recalls Jerry practicing the Steam Heat dance routine at home with two other dancers and notes that they were skilled and performed well. They performed that dance number in the OCP production of Pajama Game. Jerry’s true interests, however, were set design and sound engineering. Most of his time volunteering with OCP involved work on stage sets and electronic audio equipment setups.
Another pastime that Jerry loved as a younger man was spending as much time as he could with his van out on the sand and sun at Galveston Beach.
In middle age, Jerry became an expert collector of movies and created a home library with volumes numbering in the hundreds. He tended his collections meticulously and maintained a master alphabetical index of them. Jerry was also an animal lover and was particularly fond of cats and dogs.
The enduring memories for Pat are the simple things she shared with her brother-the walks to school with Jerry always at her side, Jerry the protective brother who watched over her closely, Jerry the teacher who diligently taught her lessons on a chalkboard. Jerry was simply “Bubba” to Pat, and she will miss him greatly.
In his later years, Jerry was fortunate to have the care, companionship, and assistance of James Harper and Jimmy Newell. The family extends special thanks to them for the kindness and attention they provided Jerry in his home. The family also expresses its gratitude to the staff of Stonewood Hospice for the compassionate care they provided to Jerry and the support they extended to Pat and the family during his final days.
Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, Clemence “Kim” Gillet Burton and Charles W. Burton.
He is survived by his only sister, Patricia Ann Burton Green of Torrance, California, and numerous cousins and members of the extended Gillet and Burton families; and dear friends who were important parts of his life.
No services are planned. Cremation was entrusted to Dorman-Riley Smith & Sons Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers or a memorial service, the family asks that anyone wishing to honor Jerry’s memory perform an extra act of kindness for someone in need. Let that kindness serve as a remembrance of Jerry.
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