Roll Call Tribute

William John Burton, Jr. 

October 26, 1944 - February 19, 2025 

William John Burton, Jr. passed away on February 19, 2025. William was born on October 26, 1944, to Jack and Larue Burton in Bryan, Texas. He grew up on a huge sheep farm in the Mt. Peak area of Midlothian and graduated from Midlothian High School in 1963.

William studied at Texas A&M University, he was an Aggie through and through. He worked for many years as a Mechanical Engineer traveling the world working for Standard Manufacturing. After retiring from Standard, he went to work at Wal-Mart in the Garden Center until he retired again.

William married his high school sweetheart Paulette on January 14, 1966. They welcomed two daughters, Shane and Missy, and shared a lifetime of love, memories, and a ton of grandkids!

William enjoyed many hobbies including fishing, hunting, target practice, water skiing, and riding dirt bikes with Paulette, Shane, and Missy in his younger days. If you knew him well you knew him as "Bill," if you were family, you knew him as "Jackie," and to a lot of people he was simply known as "Papa."

William is preceded in death by his parents Jack & Larue Burton and both of his daughters, Shane Upchurch and Missy Rodriguez. He is survived by his loving wife Paulette Burton, his grandchildren Jamie Rowl, Brandon Hollabaugh, Tommy Rodriguez, Adriona Beechey, Zack Upchurch, Emilio Rodriguez, and Tyler Upchurch, 14 great-grandchildren, 1 great-great-grandchild, his sisters Edna Vandeventer and Caroline Young, his brother Bobby Burton, and a host of nieces and nephews, as well as many loved and cherished animals.

If you knew Bill, then you know it's 5 o'clock somewhere!

The family will receive visitors on Monday, February 24, 2025, from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm at Boze Mitchell McKibbin Funeral Home Chapel, in Waxahachie, Texas.