David D. Burton

On January 19th, 2024, David Dugat Burton, family man, disciple, and chooser of joy burst through the Pearly Gates and began to two-step down the heavenly streets of gold.

Born on November 15th, 1958, to Robert Charlie and Janis Marie Burton, David grew up in Texas City with his big sister Debbie. From an early age, David lived life to the absolute fullest, and he never stopped. A perfect day for David would be waking up early, skipping school, and heading to go fishing with all his Clear Creek High School buddies. After catching the biggest fish, he would pile in the pickup truck with his friends and head over just in time to catch an Astros game. You could also catch David throwing the ball around the basketball court or baseball diamond. A lifelong sports enthusiast, David would spend his life rooting hard for his teams: San Antonio Spurs, Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Oilers, Houston Astros, and even TCU and Rice University, but only when they weren’t playing The Texas Tech Red Raiders.

David graduated from Texas Tech University in 1983, where he served as the Student Supervisor of the Athletic Dining Hall for most of his time there. There has never been a more passionate or a louder fan than David Burton. David bled red and black, cheered on every game (usually while texting with his Texas Tech buddies), and was known to march around the room singing “Fight, Raiders, Fight!” with very little provocation.

Very few people know this, but David’s love of Texas Tech was not only due to intramural sports or college gameday. It was also the jumping off point for the greatest love story ever told. On a cool fall evening in 1979 while coaching a powderpuff football game, David caught the eye of a cute freshman girl from San Benito, TX, and the rest of his life fell right into place. David married DeAnna Cowan on June 23rd, 1984, at First United Methodist Church of San Benito, and while that is the moment DeAnna became a Burton, it is also the moment that David officially became a Cowan. Mary Ann and Don Cowan embraced David as one of their own, and David was woven into a family that would become one of his largest blessings.

David and DeAnna’s story was one for the ages. It was full of everything you could ever ask for in a marriage: romance and passion, friendship and family, laughter and adventure, and most of all, a lifetime of the truest love you could ever dream of. David would be the first to tell you that he was very, very lucky. They both were.

David had an incredibly successful career in construction management and leadership. Even after his retirement in August of 2023, David was a proud member of the Design Build Institute of America, where he served on the National Board of Directors, DBIA Certification of Directors, a DBIA Instructor, on the DBIA Diversity/Equality/Inclusion Committee, and as a DBIA Fellow. His work took him all over the world, overseeing the construction of over twenty-four thousand correctional beds and ten federal courthouse/office complexes from Hawaii to New York to the Caribbean.

David’s work led him and DeAnna to live all over the country, from Houston, Corpus Christi, Washington D.C, Monongahela, New York City, Beeville, Bethel Park, San Antonio, Prosper and finally to Lake Conroe. They traveled the world for his projects, meeting new people and forging strong relationships. However, no accomplishment, professional or personal, could ever compare to the pride of David’s life, his three daughters: Carlie Dawn, Anne Marie, and Alex Virginia. David was a doting and caring father who, no matter where he was on the planet, did not miss a single event. There are countless stories of David driving in right on time to be there for his girls, and then driving all night to get back to wherever else he needed to be. David would do anything for his family. He ran half marathons, moved into dorms and apartments and houses, and acted as the world’s greatest handyman. He told terrible jokes and had hard conversations. He offered advice and hugs freely. David sat through countless games, concerts, and plays. He performed with them, played with them, laughed with them, and cried with them. This support carried over to his two sons-in-law, Craig and Jeremy. David was the biggest cheerleader of the John Cooper Football team and loved to come watch every musical at Falcon Theatre (especially White Christmas). This love extended to all of David’s many nieces and nephews, as well as his great-nieces and great-nephews. “Uncle Dave” was the life of any family gathering with a funny comment, a willing hand to help, and a big hug. Uncle Dave was quick to jump in with the young cousins playing knock-out and to show them how it was done, although there is no one that he took more joy in beating in a game of cornhole than Jeremy.

David loved to play any sort of game, no matter how good or bad he was at it. He loved playing cards. He loved going to the movie theater. He would walk into the movies with no idea what was showing and just buy a ticket to whatever was playing. He loved cornbread. He loved to work the Calf Scramble at the San Antonio Rodeo. He loved listening to George Strait, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Asleep at the Wheel. He loved to dance. He loved to write poetry for his daughters and love songs for his beautiful wife. He loved to give a speech and to make moments matter.

Most of all he loved being “Pops” to four of his favorite people in the whole world, his grandchildren: LilyAnne Jane, Truett Alexis, Kit Day and Jett David. Pops was always good for an evil laugh and the biggest hug in the world. He taught them how to fish, loved to play catch, and loved to just cuddle on the couch. No one made them laugh harder than Pops, and he held them when they cried. They just think he hung the moon and that there was nothing that Pops couldn’t or wouldn’t do for them. They were absolutely right.

David Burton loved like he lived his life: with every bit of joy he had.

He is survived by his wife DeAnna Cowan Burton, children Carlie Burton, Annie and Craig Robertson, and Alex and Jeremy Eddington, grandchildren LilyAnne, Truett, Kit, and Jett. He was also survived by his sister and brother-in-law Debra and Andy Farrior, his brother and sisters-in-law, Brad and Chris Cowan, Carolyn Botkin, and Tammy Cowan, his aunt Jill Haney and his mother-in-law Mary Ann Cowan, as well as a multitude of nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, the Knights, cousins, coworkers, and friends. David is preceded in death by his mother Jan Gilstrap, his father Charlie Burton, his father-in-law Don Cowan, his brothers-in-law Tommy Botkin and Ben Cowan, and his uncle D.D. Haney.

Today, the world is less without David here, but we are so much more for having had him with us. Pray Hard. Dream Big. Choose Joy.

The family will receive friends and relatives on Friday, January 26th, 2024 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, San Benito. A memorial service will take place on Saturday, January 27th, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in San Benito, with a reception to follow. The service will be live streamed on the church Youtube page at the following link: bit.ly/DDBservice

In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to the San Antonio Rodeo Calf Scramble. When prompted for Committee Member, please enter “David Burton”. You can make a donation at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/DDBurton