I have never done anything like this before so please be patient with me and my writing. First, I would like to tell you a story about my husband David who passed June 17, 2025, and the reason you are reading this. David was the one to pay the bills because I had to work full-time. He had a lot of health issues and could not work. I kept asking if I could help with the bills and he would always say I got it under control. While going through papers, I have found out that he was not making payments on all the bills. I found a notice of intent to foreclose on the house the day before he passed and many other bills I did not know about. With David’s passing I will lose 1/3 of the income. There is no way I can catch up on the payments or pay all the bills.

David and I are not people who ask for help. We can give but it is very difficult for us to receive. My cousin told me about go fund me and my daughter had to help me set this up. It is very hard, and it humbles me to ask for help, but I just do not know what else to do.

Here is our story: David Lee Burton born March 6th, 1964, to Alvin Gene & Savannah “Boots” Smith. We met when I was 11 and he was 14, he always said he was never getting married and never having kids and God blessed him with both (Never say Never). He loved God and I was the lucky woman that got to marry him. He taught me patience and what true love really is. He loved being a mechanic, an electrician, working with wood, and he was also an Army veteran. In the Army he was a mechanic, working on Bradley fighting vehicles. He loved working with his hands.

He would help many people in his time on this earth. Some things were small, but what he did was life changing for others. He would give a word of encouragement, the last dime he had or the food he could not afford to give away, but he did it anyway.

You never truly know what a person has done until others tell you their stories about the thing he did for them. The love that people have shown me has been amazing. He never did things for people to praise him or tell others about the things he has done. He was a God loving man who would do things for others without expecting anything in return. He did it just because he loved to help others.

So many people have texted him, asking if he is ok because they did not see any posts on Facebook or the jokes he would send. He could not work because of health issues but he stayed active messaging people on Facebook and texting others. He always took the time to listen and encourage everyone around him. No matter what he was going through and no matter what pain he was having. He would always have a smile on his face, make people laugh and forget the troubles they were having. He also loved to share his receipts and talk about smoking meat. He was always able to connect with people. When he was in the hospital this last time. It was for over six weeks, but he talked to many people about God and the love God gives. Not many people would have taken the time to make sure the people around them heard the story of Jesus and his love for them, in the middle of all the pain and suffering that he was dealing with. I’m not saying he was any better than others that do the same thing, because I do not know their story, but I do know about David’s story.

Thank you for reading my story and thinking about helping me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Mrs. David Lee Burton/Claudia