Deborrah Lynn Burton Walker

Friday, August 9, 2024

Jan. 2, 1959 - July 28, 2024

SHREVEPORT, La. - Deb was born in McCook, Neb., to Richard Cecil Burton and Shirley Lavone Foster Burton at St. Catherine’s Hospital on Jan. 2, 1959.

Deb’s early life was spent in McCook surrounded by a large extended family. Deb attended West Ward Elementary School and would walk to her Great Grandfather Arthur’s house, where she had wonderful memories of him slipping her Werther’s butterscotch candies while his wife Gladys, would warn that it would ruin her supper and would make her father, Dickie, mad.

Deb attended McCook Junior and Senior high schools, graduating in 1977. During her high school years, she held several jobs at Dairy Queen, Peter’s Drive-In, and the Bernina Sewing Center. Deb loved to sew and create things for her family and friends.

After high school, she met and married David Beard and had two beautiful daughters, Angela Rae and Amanda Ellen. After this relationship ended, she worked to support Angela and Amanda as a church secretary and as a bartender at Fuller’ss Restaurant. It was at her bartending job that she met and fell for the love of her life: a rough-edged, Harley-riding, oilfield man, James A. Walker. They fell in love and were soon inseparable. They were married on the first day of spring, March 21, 1984. Their early time was spent living in McCook, Culbertson, and Cambridge Neb. To Deb’s delight, on July 29, 1986, James officially adopted Angela and Amanda, cementing the family together for good.

In Feb. 1989, the couple moved to Farmington, N.M., for James’s job with Amoco Production Company. During their 29 years in Farmington, Deb helped to support the family by working at Ziems Ford, Williams Field Service, and Permian Power Tong. Deb also made many lifelong friends, especially her best friends, Tara Van Riper and Gena Cole. With the birth of her grandson, James William, and the addition of her two beautiful granddaughters, Jordyn Mari, and Morgan Lyn, Deb was ecstatic to step into her new role as Nana. Her grandchildren were her greatest treasures, and they brought her so much joy.

Deb had the gift of being able to create beautiful decorations and arraignments to make any event memorable. Deb could always be counted on to lend her special party planning and decorating skills to any bridal shower, birthday party, wedding reception, or gathering for family and friends. Her most favorite party to plan of all was the Annual Walker Christmas Open House, where she would decorate the house and fill it with love and joy, while James made his famous soups. She loved making sure bellies were full and laughter was abundant. After she retired, she opened her Custom Creations and Unique Gifts shop on Broadway in downtown Farmington, where she specialized in creating diaper cakes and gift baskets.

As James approached retirement, they enacted Deb’ss vision to retire someplace green, while James wanted someplace warm. In March of 2018, the couple moved to Longview, Texas, where James took a job with now BPX as a Site Manager for the Northeast Texas Asset. Nine months later, the couple would move to Shreveport, L.a., where Deb finally got the home of her dreams. She put a lot of time and thought into decorating it, making it feel warm and welcoming to anyone who walked through the door. The couple began to make friends, became active members of two Corvette clubs, and served as treasurer for 23 Corvettes Club. James retired in 2020, and Deb would tell her friends that she had promised to take him till death do us part but not every day for lunch!!

After a short but valiant battle with brain cancer, Deb passed gently in her sleep in her dream home surrounded by family and friends and her dogs.

Deb was preceded in death by her father, Richard Cecil Burton of McCook; stepsisters Kimberly Campbell of Holdrege, Neb.; Kelly Torres of Dodge City, Ks; best Friend Gwen Johnson of McCook; and Cousin William T. Uncle Weber of North Platte, Neb.

Deb is survived by her husband of 40 years, James Walker of Shreveport, and her daughters Angela Rae Walker of Albuquerque, N.M., and Amanda Ellen Walker of Houston, Texas. Three grandchildren, Jordyn Ray of Farmington, NM, Morgan Ray of Las Cruces, N.M., and James Biesecker of Albuquerque, N.M. Mother Shirley Buffington of Waneta, Neb.; brother Richard Burton of Colby, Kan.; sister Rhonda Fries of Hershey, Neb.; and Stepmother Karen Sue Rima of McCook. Deb is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews that she loved dearly.

Deb wished to be cremated, and a memorial service is planned to be held at the West First Chapel in McCook, Neb., on August 24, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity in Deb’s name. This will honor her life and impact many people who didn’t have a chance to know her.