Austin Leroy Barton (1926 - 2020)

Born 15 Sep 1926 in Wichita Falls, Wichita, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Died 17 May 2020 at age 93 in Vale, Malheur, Oregon, United States

Biography

Austin was born in 1926. He was the son of Austin Barton and Myrtle Lee. He passed away in 2020.

Austin Leroy Barton, 93, of Vale, Oregon, passed away May 13, 2020, at home surrounded by his family.

Leroy was born September 15, 1926 in Wichita Falls, Texas, to Austin and Myrtle Barton. He was raised in Butler, Oklahoma, until he was 16 when the family relocated to Los Angeles, California.

He enlisted in the Navy just prior to his 18th birthday in 1944. He was assigned to the USS Bon Homme Richard and headed to the Pacific to protect Hawaii and the Philippines.

Following his discharge from the service he relocated to Vale and joined his family where he learned the trade of shoe repair. He purchased his own shop in Nyssa, Oregon and lived there from 1949 to 1952. While in Nyssa, he met the love of his life, Irene Bibbey. They were married July 1, 1951 in Nyssa and moved to Vale in 1952. Together they operated the Vale Shoe Shop until they retired in 1987.

People will tell you what a nice, friendly and witty person he was. He was known for pulling tricks and telling jokes and stories. If you were from Vale or the surrounding area you knew about the Pencil on a String or the Mongoose and various other puzzles. He loved to play Pinochle and traveled to Harper and Willowcreek to play with friends. He was honored in 1995 to serve as the Grand Marshall of the Vale Rodeo.

He was a member of the Vale Christian Church, Masonic Lodge and the Vale Legion.

Survivors include son Brent (Pam) Barton of Ontario; daughter LeAnn Davila of Ontario; daughter Janeen (Larry) Kressly of Ontario; daughter Renae (Dale) Wilber of Imbler; grandchildren Erin (Craig), Stacy (Jim), Kyle (Britney), Kelsi (Joey), Tyler (Amanda), Toni, Tessa (Jonny), Skeeter (Manuel), Cynthia, Tony (Amy), Emily (Pat), Andy (Lauren), Whitney and Ben; great-grandchildren, Jasmine, Jace, Paisley, Austin, Antonio, Treyton, Emma, Ellie, River, Knox, Ethan, Tate, Easton, Luca and Henri; numerous nieces and nephews; sister Norma Jean Perdue of Nyssa; and sister-in-law Mildred Cayford of Nampa.

He was preceded in death by his wife Irene; his parents Austin and Myrtle Barton; brother-in-law Don Perdue; brother-in-law Ralph Cayford; and brother and sister-in-law Dick and Valetta Mason.

He was a loving, caring, supportive husband, father, grandfather and friend that will be greatly missed by all. He always had a smile and a story to tell and once you met him he would know you from then on. He always took time for everyone.

Sources

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 01 April 2021, 15:40), entry for austin leroy barton(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:L51V-3KX); contributed by various users.
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/210208616/austin-leroy-barton