Julia Maurene “Mo” Burton, 76, of Clarkston, formerly of Myrtle, Idaho (along the Clearwater River), Bremerton, Wash., Indianapolis and Issaquah, Wash., passed away Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, from a combination of cancer and dialysis.
Maurene was born Dec. 2, 1945, in Bremerton to Eugene and Gayle Searle, while Eugene was working at the Naval Shipyard. The family moved to Lewiston in 1955, when Maurene’s father went to work for PFI. Maurene attended one year at Lewiston schools and then the family moved to a small farm beside the Clearwater River, near Myrtle. Maurene finished her schooling at Lapwai and graduated in 1963 as valedictorian of her small class, with a grade point average of 4.0. During her school years, she was a majorette for four years, student body treasurer and her senior year, she was FHA Idaho state president.
After graduation, she moved back to Bremerton and attended Olympia Junior College, where she was one of two girls in the first data processing class taught by the school. She received her AA degree and met her future husband, Robert H. Burton, while working at the city diner. Bob was from Indianapolis and they returned there to get to know his family and start their careers. Maurene got a job at Allisons, a division of General Motors, as a programmer and was the only woman in a department of at least 50 men. She worked there for two years, until the humidity drove her back to the Seattle area.
There, she found a job with Kenworth, a division of Paccar and ended up working with them as a programmer, analyst and senior analyst for the next 40 years and retired in 2005.
Maurene married Robert Burton on Feb. 5, 1966, in Huntington, Ind. She and Bob had two girls, Michele and Renee. Michele was the victim of a murder in 2008 and Renee is a second-grade teacher with the Issaquah School District.
During her life, Maurene went through what she called her “phases.” There was the cake decorating phase; the crocheting phase; the Volksmarching phase, where she earned patches for multiple marches and at least two marathons; the knitting phase; the soap- and lotion-making phase; the candle-making phase; the scrubby-making phase; and the cookie party phase. For 11 years, in Bremerton and then Clarkston, she hosted a cookie party around Christmas, where 18 ladies brought cookies to share with each other and partake in a gourmet dinner prepared by Maurene and two of her friends. She also enjoyed sewing and camping. Every year for 40 years, the family and some friends would traverse to Dworshak-Dent Acres to spend a week camping, boating and enjoying each other’s company. Maurene and her husband frequently traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Hawaii, New Orleans and cruised through the Caribbean, the Panama Canal and to Hawaii. Maurene was noted for planning lady’s getaways to New Orleans, Hawaii and other adventurous places.
Maurene was preceded in death by her parents (Gene and Gayle Searle), her grandparents (Davis and Adeline Searle), her sister (Shirley McIntire), her aunt and uncle (Lillian and Ewart Harvey) and her daughter (Michele Lee Burton).
Maurene is survived by her husband, Bob, at the family home, and her daughter, Renee, of Newcastle, Wash. She also leaves behind, her sister, Vonda (Dave) Carlin, of Lapwai. She will be missed by all of them.
There is no celebration of life to be scheduled, however, any memorial donations may be made to the Valley Community Center, 549 Fifth St., Clarkston, WA 99403.