Obituary of Burnetta Langendoerfer

Burnetta May Langendoerfer was born on July 19, 1926 in Kirk, Colorado to Granville and Myrtle Hutton. Burnetta was the fifth child in a family of seven and grew up as a true farm girl. She started milking cows at age five and continued farm work for most of her life. Her favorite memory of play as a child was outside with her brother, Granville Hutton Jr., and the family’s Shetland pony. She said that she and Junior spent every spare moment with the pony. Burnetta was blessed with a large and loving family. Burnetta attended Kirk Schools and graduated from Kirk High School in 1944. She enjoyed school and playing sports, including basketball and volleyball. After high school, she helped her father on the farm for a year and then attended and graduated from cosmetology school in Denver. Burnetta worked as a beautician in Denver for a year before returning home to Kirk in 1947 to work in a local beauty shop. Burnetta continued to cut and perm hair for her relatives and friends for many years, and took great pride and pleasure in her skill. In July 1947, Burnetta met Alvin Langendoerfer at a dance in Idalia that she attended with Toots and Maynard Higgason, her sister and brother-in-law. Alvin and Burnetta got engaged a couple of months later and were married in Kirk in December 1947. Burnetta said that the day she met Alvin was the “best day of her life”! Alvin and Burnetta lived and worked together on their farm and ranch south of Idalia for 42 years. It was a great partnership based on mutual love, family, hard work and appreciation of simple pleasures. Burnetta and Alvin had two children, Penny, born in 1954 and Bill, born in 1957. Together, Burnetta and Alvin provided a loving, nurturing and principled upbringing for their children, and were totally involved in their children’s school work and activities, always juggling farm work, cooking and the next school or sports event. Burnetta said that her children’s school years were probably the best and most fun years of her life. She gave all her love to her family and made every possible effort to do the absolute best she could for her family. In addition to farm work and chores, Burnetta found time to become an accomplished cook and was well known for her wonderful pies, homemade bread and rolls, and contributions to numerous family dinners. Family dinners with the Hutton family and the Langendoerfer family were cherished occasions. Burnetta raised chickens and a garden each summer and was always busy cleaning chickens and canning and freezing vegetables and fruit. Burnetta was a devout Christian and was a member of the First Christian Church in Burlington. After the children left high school, Burnetta and Alvin became members of a Bible Study group with four other couples in the Idalia neighborhood. This group met every two weeks for 25 years, and the friendship and fellowship that developed from this group was a great joy for both Burnetta and Alvin. Burnetta and Alvin moved to Burlington in 1989 and began a new phase of their life. They enjoyed living in town and had a daily routine of walks, drinking coffee at the coffee shop, cooking, gardening, yard work and visiting neighboring towns. Burnetta cherished every opportunity that she and Alvin had to spend time with their two grandchildren, Lucas, born in 1988 and Hannah, born in 1991. Alvin and Burnetta moved to the Legacy in Burlington in 2005 due to Alvin’s failing health. Burnetta was a faithful and loving caregiver to Alvin until he passed away in 2006. She continued to live at the Legacy until 2010, when she moved to Grace Manor Care Center. Burnetta loved and appreciated all the phone calls, visits and love provided by Hazel Langendoerfer, Beverly Shively, Dean and Barbara Higgason and Ron and Alma Jean Hutton. Burnetta passed away at Grace Manor Care Center on April 23, 2012 at the age of 85 after months of declining health. Burnetta will be greatly missed by her children, Bill and Judy Langendoerfer of Bennett and Bob and Penny Sayre of Colorado Springs, grandchildren, Lucas and Hannah Langendoerfer, as well as her brother, Ronald and Alma Jean Hutton of Burlington, sister-in-law, Hazel Langendoerfer, of Burlington and numerous nieces and nephews and friends.