Elgeva passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on April 20, 2022, after a long battle with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. She was 87 years old.

She was born on Oct. 13, 1934, to Luther and Ruby Durham, at her grandfather’s two-story country home in Sumner County, Tennessee. When she was two years old, the family moved to Tucson, AZ where her father had a small service station and motel. They eventually moved to Modesto, CA, where her mother’s family was living. After her mother’s death, when she was eight years old, her father remarried and bought a dairy east of Oakdale. Ellen graduated from Oakdale High School in 1953 and married Jerry Burton in May 1953 at a little church in Reno, NV.

Ellen was an avid bowler for over 50 years, competing in several bowling leagues, including travel leagues. She was a member of the Oakdale Match Club, where she was the Secretary for over 30 years. She worked in walnut processing for many years, for longtime family friend, Bruce Webb. She also worked for the State of California Cling Peach Association, where she was the only female Supervisor at the time. She retired from Richland Market as the Deli Manager, where she was affectionately known to all as “Ellie in the Deli”. She was an active member of Community Bible Church in Waterford.

Elgeva was preceded in death by her husband, Jerry Burton, parents Luther and Ruby Durham, brothers Jim, Pete and Jerry, and sisters Juanita and Maxine. She was the last surviving sibling.

She is survived by her children, Ken (Debby) Burton, John (Tammy) Burton and Connie (Dean) Hagens. She had six grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a charity very near to Ellen’s heart, United Cerebral Palsy of Stanislaus County. UCPStan.org

Services will be held at Oakdale Memorial Chapel on Friday, May 6 at 10 a.m.

Graveside to follow at Oaklawn Memorial Park in Oakdale.

The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader

The Riverbank (Calif.) News

April 27, 2022