To request a copy of this photo for your own personal use, please contact our state coordinator. If you are not a family member or the original photographer — please refrain from copying or distributing this photo to other websites.
Thank you for visiting the Missouri Gravestone Photo Project. On this site you can upload gravestone photos, locate ancestors and perform genealogy research. If you have a relative buried in Missouri, we encourage you to upload a digital image using our Submit a Photo page. Contributing to this genealogy archive helps family historians and genealogy researchers locate their relatives and complete their family tree.
Submitted: 4/19/15 • Approved: 4/20/15 • Last Updated: 4/15/18 • R768751-G768749-S3
James
Feb. 9, 1914
Feb. 24, 1986
Mary
Jun. 21, 1921
Aug. 19, 2012
Parents:
Ellis Wayne Copeland (1904 - 1926)
Alma G. Gilliland Eggert (1899 - 1987)
Spouses:
James Halleck Rhea (1914 - 1986)
Joe F. Burton (1921 - 2001)
Services were held Thursday, February 27, 1986 at 2:00 p.m. for James Halleck (Hal) Rhea. He was born February 9, 1914 at Purdy, Missouri and died February 24, 1986 at Baptist Memorial Central Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 72.
After serving in the teaching profession for over 30 years, Hal retired from the Cooter School District. He was a veteran of World War II, having served in the Navy. He was a faithful member of the Cooter United Methodist church and served the community with his many talents.
He was the son of the late James S. Rhea and Lela Henderson Rhea. On June 16, 1940 at Cooter, Missouri he was united in marriage to Adine Copeland.
He leaves his wife, Mrs. Adine Rhea of Cooter; two daughters, Mrs. Marilyn Stevens of Natchitoces, La. and Mrs. Kathy Robinson of Cooter; his stepmother, Mrs. Bertha Rhea of Powell, Missouri; a brother, Manford Rhea of Steeleville, Missouri; a sister Mrs. Barbara Baker of Steeleville; and five grandchildren, Marla Stevens, Dana Robinson, Tiffany Stevens, Kara Stevens, and Gallen Robinson.
Funeral services were held at the United Methodist Church in Cooter with Rev. James Doyle officiating. Burial was at Mt. Zion Cemetery near Steele, John W. German Funeral Home of Steele in charge.
Steele Enterprise - Steele, Missouri - March 6, 1986
The Steele Enterprise, Steele, Missouri
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Mary "Adine" Rhea Burton, 91, died Sunday, August 19, 2012, in Natchitoches, La., surrounded by family, of natural causes.
Born in Cooter on Jue 21, 1921, she is the daughter of the late Ellis Wayne Copeland and Alma Eloise Gilliland Copeland.
She was also prceded in death by her husbands, Hal Rhea and Joe F. Burton; one brother, Wayne Copeland; and one sister, Renna Stine.
Adine lived in Cooter with her growing up there with her siblings Wayne and Renna.
She graduated from Cooter High School in 1939, attended Teachers College in Springfield, and then later graduated with a degree in Elementary Education from Arkansas State University.
Adine was a lovely little girl, with golden ringlets of which she was very proud. She grew into a very talented and polished young woman.
She sewed beautifully, making tailored clothing for herself and elaborate matching outfits for her two young daughters. Later she sewed dolls and doll clothes for her grandchildren and knitted blankets or made quilts for each of her great-grandchildren.
She met James Halleck "Hal" Rhea at Teachers College in Springfield. They married on June 16, 1940, before Hal went into the Navy and served in World War II.
Their 45 year marriage was a happy one. In the early years of their marriage, they lived in Charlottesville, Chicago, Fulton, and Cairo. They returned home to Cooter in the early 1950's and made their home there amongst many nearby family members, raising their two young daughters Marilyn and Kathy, teaching, farming, and participating in community life. With Hal and her family, Adine enjoyed camping. They always had a home filled with music, prayer, and the reading of the Word. They also danced and were members of the Bootheel Promenadors Square-Dance Club of Cooter. They were mentors and hosts to many young teachers and their families.
Adine impacted countless students throughout her 26-year teaching career at Cooter Elementary School, from which she retired in 1986.
Teaching was a natural career choice for her; her mother Alma was a teacher for 39 years at Cooter High School; later her daughter, Marilyn, became a teacher at Cooter Elementary School; her granddaughter Dana and granddaughter-in-law Ashley are now teachers at Cooter Elementary School; and her granddaughter Kara is a high school math teacher.
She taught several elementary grades and in the migrant program, but her favorite grade to teach was the 4th.
She was a dedicated and thoughtful teacher, and treated every student as an individual.
She was engaging and creative with her students, leading them in interesting hands-on projects like making a homemade quilt after reading Little House on the Prairie.
Her annual classroom Christmas tree was so admired that it "made the paper" several times.
After the death of her husband Hal in 1986, Adine spent a lot of time with her family.
She also continued to sew and create beautiful crafts. With friends, she went on interesting travel trips, including to Hawaii, to England and to the Caribbean.
Later, Adine married Joe F. Burton, who she knew all of her life, on July 10, 1991. Joe made Adine laugh and they did many enjoyable things together, including visiting children and grandchildren and traveling widely. They were married for nine years until his death.
Adine was a lifelong member of Cooter United Methodist Church, where she was a dedicated Sunday School teacher and organized and led a children's church choir.
Mrs. Burton leaves two daughters: Marilyn Stevens of Natchitoches, La., and Kathy Robinson and husband Gary of Cooter; her niece, Robin Garvey and husband Mike and their children of Rockford, Ill.; five grandchildren, Marla Alpizar and husband Rafael of Miami, Fla., Tiffany Stevens and husband Miles Holyfield of Gonzales, La., Kara Stevens of Natchitoches, Dana Swan and husband, William "Buddy" of Cooter and Galen Robinson and wife Ashley of Cooter; and six great-grandchildren: Adeline Elle Holyfield, Hallie Kalen Robinson, Layton Clark Robinson, Sofia Adine Alpizar, Leila Kate Alpizar and Carson Garrett Swan.
Funeral services for Mrs. Burton were held on Wednesday, August 22, 2012 at the Cooter United Methodist Church with Pastor Todd Holman officiating. Service music played by Freddie Pugh and Carole Jones included "The Church in the Wildwood", "When We All Get To Heaven", "How Great Thou Art" and special music arranged by Vance West was "I Can Only Imagine."
Burial and committal prayers was at the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Steele where she was laid to rest next to her late husband, James Halleck Rhea.
Contributed on 4/19/15 by ttack
Email This Contributor
Suggest a Correction
Record #: 768751