Martha Frances Morton Burton of Holly and Kalamazoo, Michigan, passed away on March 27, 2023, just one day after celebrating her 85th birthday with close family. Born March 26, 1938 to Hudson T and Ethelyn Morton (nee Servis). Martha was a graduate of Pioneer High School and the University of Michigan.

As a young woman, Marty, as she was called, was adventuresome. She worked summers as a lifeguard and traveled in the first cohort of Youth For Understanding, visiting Germany to rebuild relations after WWII, under the watchful eye of Mrs. Alan Dulles. She wasn't hard to miss, with her fiery red hair and infectious laugh. Her sense of humor tended to puns and practical jokes, often eliciting a groan from her listeners. She was an avid card player and spent many an evening in a hand of canasta at the family lake house.

She married Paul Burton, Jr in 1960 in Ann Arbor, following him to El Paso, Texas where she taught school. Upon Paul's Army discharge, the young couple returned to Ann Arbor. They eventually settled in Holly, Michigan, where Martha assisted Paul in building a home of his own design on a 5-acre farmette for their blossoming family. She embraced organic living, being one of the founding members of the Ann Arbor Food Co-op and re-purposing the front orchard into an apiary. She was an enthusiastic canner and loved to sew and quilt.

Martha continued to teach and substitute teach in the Holly Area schools, while serving as a foster mother to countless babies and young children in the Oakland County foster care system. She later worked for The Holly Herald and as a real estate agent. She developed a love for genealogy and traced both her family and her husband's family back to the Revolutionary War, the Mayflower and as far back as the 1200's.

She was very active in her churches, including Davisburg United Methodist, Clarkston Free Methodist, Holly Episcopalian and the River Church. After her move to Hope Woods Senior Apartments, she became active in Texas Corners church, as well as with the many activities at Hope Woods. She also enjoyed politics, serving as a poll worker into her early 80's and being very involved in PACs that impact children and babies.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Hudson and Ethelyn Morton, and her brother Hudson III. She leaves behind her husband Paul to whom she was married for nearly 63 years, her two children; Richard (Shelby) Burton and Carolyn (Mark) Glueckert; three granddaughters -Katherine, Elizabeth and Aurora; her brother Charles (Susan) Morton and a wonderful family of cousins, nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will take place at 1:00 pm, Saturday, May 13 at Hope Woods in Kalamazoo, with a graveside service on Monday, May 15 in Ann Arbor.