A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at the St. Anthony Catholic Church, 911 5th Street, Natchitoches, LA 71457 Tuesday, March 26, 2013, 10:00 a. m. The remains will lie in state at the church from 9:00 a. m. to service time. Entombment will follow in the Catholic Cemetery Mausoleum on 5th Street.

Retired educator Dorothy Jean Burton loved the children she taught, the pets she cared for, and her circle of family and friends, and was loved by many in return. Born in Natchitoches Parish on December 4, 1925, she was the fifth of six children born to John Wesley Burton and Geneva Sapp Burton.
Throughout her life, she enjoyed both learning and teaching. She graduated from McDonough 35 High School in New Orleans, and attended Dillard University and Grambling College (now Grambling State University) in Ruston, where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education. With that degree, she became an elementary teacher in the Natchitoches school system; her career spanned more than 30 years. During her tenure, she was a noted nurturer who constantly encouraged the children under her care to work to achieve their goals. Many of her former students continue to credit her for providing them with a springboard for their success.
Faith and spirituality played a major role in her life. As a youth, she was baptized and became a member of First Baptist Church on Amulet Street in Natchitoches. As an adult, she converted to Catholicism and became an active member of St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church in Natchitoches, where she was a longtime member of the Christian Mothers Auxiliary.
Dorothy Jean Burton died on March 20, 2013 at the Natchitoches Regional Medical Center. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brothers Thad Burton and John Burton, and her sister Geneva Burton Barrow (Jim). She is survived by her niece Anita Barrow Helton and two sisters from her parent's marriage: Spizette Davis (V. Ellis) and Velma Bruster, both of Detroit, Michigan; as well as siblings from her father's later marriages: Doris Burton, John D. Burton, Katherine Burton, and Jimmy Ray Burton. Also left to celebrate her life are a host of nieces and nephews, cousins, former students, and friends.