Babe Estes Burton, 90, of Colorado Springs, passed away on Wednesday, March 31, 2021. She was born December 12, 1930 in Reydon, Oklahoma to Mae Cox Estes and F.M. Estes.
Surviving her are her daughter and son-in-law, Suzan-Crary Hoover and David Hoover of Colorado Springs; grandsons Colin Crary, Nathan Hoover, and Brian Hoover; her sisters Patsy Burks of Reydon, OK and Rose Mixon of Richmond, TX; nieces Pamela Burks, Cindy Mixon, and Lori Collins; and nephew Bob Keller. Babe’s daughter, Karen Kay Burton, preceded her in death in 1983. Also passing before her are her siblings Ted Estes, Jolene Keller, and Rufus “Buzz” Estes.
Babe attended Midway School, graduated from Durham High School in 1949, and received a B.S from Southwestern State College in Weatherford, OK. She then lived in Dumas, TX and moved several times before she landed back in Texas in 1979 with her daughter, Karen, who needed medical care there. While raising her daughters, she was known for sewing amazing clothes for them, having dinner on the table every night, and for her tole painting talent. She taught third grade while living in Georgia, but her true vocation came later in life when she became a realtor. Babe enjoyed sports and loved to compete in volleyball and tennis.
In 1992, she moved from Houston to Fort Collins to be nearer her daughter, Suzan and her family. After her 82nd birthday celebration on 12/12/12, she moved to MacKenzie Place, a community for active seniors in Colorado Springs. Just as she did in every town where she lived, Babe made good friends there. When she left Fort Collins, her best girlfriends were sad that there would be no more cocktail hours at Babe’s house. The caregivers who looked after her in her last year of life reported that they would miss her smile but would miss her signature “raised eyebrow” even more.
Special thanks to the staff at MacKenzie Place who loved and appreciated Babe and to the staff of New Century Hospice who provided her end-of-life care. If you wish to make a memorial contribution, please donate to the Gulf Coast Houston chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation via this link: https://www.cff.org/ give-today/ or by mail to Gulf Coast CF Foundation, 50 Briar Hollow Lane, Suite 300W, Houston, TX 77027. A private interment will be held at White Rose Cemetery, Reydon, OK, on April 19, 2021.