Virginia “Ginny” Burton devoted her life to causes that would benefit the community and people in need. She considered it a spiritual calling that she could not allow to go unanswered. “She felt that Christians who were given a talent should use it to help,” said her son, Joseph “Jay” Burton Jr. of Atlanta. He said his mother’s beliefs were a driving force throughout her life.
Virginia “Ginny” Williams Burton of Atlanta died Sept. 10 from complications of a recent stroke. She was 91. A memorial service was held Friday at All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta, where she was an active member for more than 60 years. H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill was in charge of arrangements.
Ginny Burton was born on Dec. 7, 1920 in Norfolk, Va. After graduating from St. Catherine’s School in Richmond, Va., she studied at the College of William and Mary, Norfolk Division, later renamed Old Dominion University. She married Joseph John Burton in 1944, and began her volunteer work soon afterward, caring for wounded World War II veterans in San Francisco.
The couple moved to Atlanta in 1949 and Mrs. Burton continued her charitable work. Organizations she served included the Junior League of Atlanta, Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta Humane Society, High Museum of Art, Atlanta Botanical Gardens and Atlanta Symphony.
She also volunteered and served as president and executive director for Hillside Cottages. “I remember going out there with her as a young boy,” her son said. “At the time it was a small facility for battered and homeless women and their children. She found it greatly rewarding.”
Mrs. Burton was also passionate about European travel. She became very familiar with the vacation homes there, and later opened European Rental Houses (ERH), a travel planning company that specialized in personal recommendations. “She would say, ‘I’ve been there, I’ve looked at it, and you can count on what I tell you about it,’ ” her son said.
Her business was responsible for some of the vacations offered during the Atlanta Wine Auction, the High Museum of Art’s largest fundraiser. “She brought some of the biggest bids in the wine auction,” said friend Woodie Wisebram of Atlanta. “Our event brought together a lot of people who liked travel, food and art, and her business offered that crowd the kind of places they’d like to go,” she said.
Despite the challenges of old age and declining health, Mrs. Burton stayed busy. “She was still volunteering with the Red Cross at age 89 and 90,” her son said. “She couldn’t see and hear very well, but she said, ‘I can’t sit here and do nothing … I have to do something.’ ”
“She had an energetic spirit,” said Mrs. Wisebram. “She was the kind of woman who wasn’t going to sit still.”
Additional survivors include a second son, Robert Dalrymple Burton of Atlanta; sister, Joan W. Graham of Norfolk, Va.; and six grandchildren.
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