Pamela Elsie Hilda Burton nee Roper 1930 – 2019
Pam was born in Bury St Edmunds, her father being a draper by trade. She was schooled in Norwich and Bury St. Edmunds. Youngest of 5 musically talented children, as she grew up she too developed a love of music and singing, being able with guitar and piano.
A spell in London, at Goldsmiths College, saw her qualify as a teacher. Her first posting on this challenging pathway was to take charge of a ‘Baby Boomer’ class of 46 in the town of Luton.
Romance soon blossomed at a local dance hall, where a dashing ex-RAF type caught her eye. A ‘Ladies excuse me’ gave her the chance to approach this handsome young man, recently returned from Australia after a spell working for Qantas Airlines. Ken had met his match!
Married in August 1952 at Sprowston, near Norwich, Pam & Ken settled in Harpenden, and set out to establish the nascent ‘Burton’ tribe, little realising that after 67 years of marriage their efforts would have produced 4 children - Roderick, Catherine, Peter and Anna, sadly lost to cancer when just 51 -10 grandchildren and 35 great grandchildren.
In 1960 the growing family settled in the lively Bedfordshire village of Harrold. Pam began to stretch her wings, joining local choral groups – the start of a 50 year career of singing – and taking the lead role in local amateur dramatic productions, notably in “Fanny by Gaslight” and “Roots” by Arnold Wesker. She also returned to teaching, initially as a Music & Drama teacher at Harrold Primary, but later as a Supply teacher throughout north of Bedfordshire.
With the family grown and departed, in 1981 Pam & Ken moved to the small Norfolk village of Foulden. As a lover of all things natural Pam was in her element, taking long daily walks over the common. She also taught throughout these years on a part-time basis, as well as singing in local choirs. This continued when they later moved to nearby Thetford.
Come the Millennium, they moved to Uppingham, to be close to their two daughters and their young families. Here, they quickly established links with the vibrant local classical music scene, with Pam singing in choral societies until her 82nd year, and both attending a wide range of concerts in Uppingham, Stamford and surrounding villages. A particular favourite of theirs was the wonderful local harpist Eleanor Turner – with whom they formed a very special bond over the years.
Pam brought much joy to many people through her teaching of music and drama, and through her acting and particularly her singing. But she always remained a very private person, and nothing gave her greater pleasure than to be surrounded by junior members of the family.
In spite of being confined to her bed in recent months – a fall and fracture led, after a hospital stays in Peterborough and Stamford, to her moving to the supportive and hospitable surrounding of Belton House Care Home – Pam remained wholly positive about her life, and her current situation. She was a quiet but significant inspiration to all who knew her. She slipped quietly away, as the dawn chorus stirred on 9th September, in the loving presence of her family.
Rest in peace.