Judy Ann Burton

Judy Ann (Ward) Burton, 47, of Benton Harbor, went to meet her Lord & Savior, Tuesday, November 9, 2004 at Lakeland Specialty Hospital, Berrien Center. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 P.M. Saturday, November 13, 2004 at Kerley-Starks and Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, St. Joseph with her Pastor, Camellia Frye Bogan officiating. Private burial will be held at North Shore Memory Gardens, Coloma. Friends may call beginning one hour prior to the service at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Our Center for Better Living Christian Church, 717 E. Napier Ave., Benton Harbor. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Judy was born July 22, 1957 in St. Louis, Missouri to the late Emmett E. Ward, Jr. and Clemmie (Jackson) Ward. She graduated from Benton Harbor High School in 1975 and from Lake Michigan College with an associate degree in nutrition. Judy also attended Western Michigan University. She was employed as a teacher aide at Calvin Britian School and most recently as the director of day care at Our Center for Better Living Christian Church. On October 8, 1983, she married Ira Lee Burton in Benton Harbor. Judy was a loving wife, mother, daughter and sister. She was a woman of prayer. She spent many hours in prayer for others even though she was ill herself. Judy is survived by her husband Ira Lee Burton; her son?Marc Antwan (Elizabeth) Burton of South Bend, IN; granddaughter?Aamia Shantrell Burton, at home; her mother Clemmie Ward of Kalamazoo; MI; seven sisters? Diana Johnson; Irene (John) Woodley; and Patricia Ward all of Benton Harbor; Evangeline Thomas of Kalamazoo, MI; Karla Roseburgh and Adah (Lewis) Randolph both of Columbus, OH; Christine Gavin of Atlanta, GA; four brothers?Preston Ward of Houston, TX; Clifton (Pat) Ward and Kevin Ward both of Kalamazoo, MI; Emmett (Donna) Ward, III of Atlanta, GA; father-in-law and mother-in-law-James & Clara Burton; sisters-in-law-Mary (George) Bell; Delphine (Thomas) McMillion; Vannie Burton; Margette (Don) Hawkins; Elizabeth Pinkey; Patricia (Courtney) Steele; brothers-in-law-Jerome Burton; and Stanley Burton; many aunts, uncles, nieces nephews and a host of cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by her father Emmett E. Ward, Jr.