Berton Theodore Powers (1900 - 1976)

Born 7 Nov 1900 in Gridley, Coffey, Kansas, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Lois Irene (Fulton) Powers — married 26 Jul 1925 in Iola, Allen, Kansas

Died 12 Jul 1976 at age 75 in Iola, Allen, Kansas, United States Of America

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Biography

Burton Powers, 75, 521 North Chestnut, died yesterday, July 12, shortly after being admitted to the Allen County Hospital. Mr. Powers, a retired city Letter carrier, was born November 7, 1900, on a farm near Bronson. After serving in the Marine Corps, he was married to Lois Fulton of Iola. She died in 1939. In 1946 he was married to Ella Keyser.

Survivors include Mrs. Powers; two sons, Floyd Powers, Kansas City, Kansas, and Berton Darrel Powers, Valparaiso, Florida; two daughters, Mrs. Donna Tyler, Wichita, and Mrs. Pauline Hall, Sacramento; a step-son, Gerald Cline, Parsons; a stepdaughter, Mrs. Lola Jean Turley, Kansas City, Kansas; two brothers, Ernie Powers, Wichita, and David Powers, Fredonia; a sister, Mrs. Addie Stroup, Iola; 21 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Waugh-Yokum , Funeral Home. The Rev. Arthur Mix will officiate. Burial will be Highland Cemetery.

From The Iola Register, Tuesday, July 13, 1976

Out-of-town relatives here for the funeral of Burton T. Powers Thursday afternoon included Mr. and Mrs. Jim Tyler of Wichita, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Powers and family, Mr. and Mrs. Jim Turley and Mar and Mrs. Karen Wiley, all of Kansas City, Kan., Mr. and Mrs. Gerald Cline and family of Parsons; Mr. and Mrs. Eldon Powers, Tulsa; Mrs. Ralph Ainsworth, Kansas City; Mr. and Mrs. Rick Turley, Topeka, and Mr. and Mrs. Joe Adams, LeRoy.

From the Iola Register, July 19, 1976

Berton's sister Zella Hamilton came to live with him following his wife's death so that she could help raise his children. She was really a fine woman.

Iola was a fishing community – the Neosho Dam was there and people would fish right below the dam. Berton's brother Ernie would take his children there to fish and see family.

Berton sang in a quartet with three of his brothers (Oscar, Orion and Ernie) on the streets of Iola. This was likely where the quartet started singing in church.

Memories from Berton's nephew Eldon Powers, October 14, 2016.

Sources

Findagrave memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=30921929

Family Search Profile: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L6H7-XML