Obituary of Lon Clarence Burr

West Liberty, Iowa

Lon Clarence Burr, age 93, died peacefully Thursday morning, March 14, 2019 in Carthage, Jasper County, Missouri.

He was born in West Liberty, Johnson County, Iowa in 1925 the son of son of Clarence Nelson Burr and Irene Isabel Smith Burr, the youngest child of six children.  Lon was united in marriage to Marilyn "Lynn" Ione Miller in New London, Henry County, Iowa on August 15, 1948. His sweet wife passed away nearly 4 years ago. They were blessed with a daughter and a son, Liesa and Lyman.

A consistent pattern in Lon’s life was his gift of humor. He had the ability to rile up the contented with pranks and mischief, love up the timid with endearing nicknames and bring smiles and giggles to the faces of young ones with stories and animal sounds while entertaining them with his rare gift of wiggling his right ear. In general, Lon knew no stranger. If you had the time, he quickly became your friend.

For 31 years Lon was a good, honest, faithful worker for Yoder Feeds in Kalona Iowa. He was valued in sales, designing and building a feed plant, and inventing and promoting the Feed-O-Matic. He was skilled in farming and welding as a profession in his early adult years. His hobbies produced beautiful wooden sculptures of wild animals and pen and ink drawings of life on the farm that are a genuine inheritance. As a fisherman, he and Lynn relished feeding 75 people every winter in sunny Texas.  Best of all he was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather to his family.

In 1996 Lon and Lynn moved to the warmer climate of Carthage, Missouri. He often said, “Carthage has been good to me” especially as a widower in recent years. During these years he was able to openly share his WW2 experiences as an 18 year-old combat soldier in Italy, serving in the 91^st Infantry. He cherished his country, the flag and the freedom it represents.

He shared that his “social life with the Lord” began as a young boy while learning the Lord’s prayer from his mother. His vocal prayers in recent years have been child-like and reverent as he humbly petitioned the Lord for helps along the path.

If asked, Lon would say “lighten up, look to God and His creation for life’s lessons, be a friend, have a lot of good-natured fun and fly your flag!”

Lon is survived by his daughter, Liesa Burr Newman and her husband Art Newman of West Des Moines, Iowa and his son Lyman Burr and his wife Elaine Waring Burr of Carthage Missouri, sister, Ruby Burr Larson of Maryland, sister-in-law, Belva June Mills Burr (Harvey), and his wife’s sister-in-law, Elizabeth Ann Clark Miller. Grandchildren, Clifford Newman and his wife Arielle Badger Newman, Addison Burr and Aurelia Burr; and two great grandsons, Baird and Lochlan Newman as well as 14 nieces and 5 nephews on his side and 3 nieces and 3 nephews on his wife’s side. In addition to his parents and wife; Lon was preceded in death by his brother Cleo Burr and his wives Lenora and Geraldine, Chester Burr and wife Bernice, Harvey Burr and one sister, Iona Burr Waite and her husband Ed and one brother-in-law, Melvin Larson (Ruby) on his side and two brother-in-law's Curtis Miller and Harold Miller on his wife's side.

A committal of Lon and Lynn’s cremains will be held at 3:00 pm March 28, 2019 at the Oak Ridge Cemetery in West Liberty Iowa. We will greet family and friends at the West Liberty Community Center, 1204 North Calhoun St., at 6 pm with a Celebration of Lon and Lynn’s life to follow at 7 P.M.

A memorial fund will be established with the intent to support Lon’s love of his country and the flag.

The Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Liberty is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.hendersonbarkerfuneralhome.com.