City of Oaks Funeral Home & Cremation
Obituary
David Wayne Burton
Sanford, North Carolina
Age 81.
Died 07/10/2025.
July 26, 1943 – July 10, 2025
David “Dave” Wayne Burton passed away peacefully on July 10, 2025, after a courageous, determined, and unwavering battle with pancreatic cancer for more than a year. He was 81 years old.
Born on July 26, 1943, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, David was the son of Martin and Merna (Swan) Burton. He was raised on his family’s farm in Rice, MN, where he developed a lifelong love for the outdoors and internalized the values of hard work, responsibility, and doing things right. As a young man, he was actively involved in 4-H and later served briefly in the U.S. Navy, receiving an honorable discharge.
Over the years, David pursued a variety of vocations, including driving transfer trucks, building pontoon boats, and holding maintenance and management positions at several factories. He brought integrity, skill, and dedication to every job he had.
After leaving Minnesota, David spent 22 wonderful years in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his second wife, Elizabeth “Betty” Burton. There, he had a passion for elk hunting, fishing, and enjoying the rugged beauty of the West. In retirement, they settled in Sanford, North Carolina, to enjoy a warmer climate.
David was mechanically gifted and took great pleasure in sharing his knowledge and skills with others. He hosted open vehicle maintenance workshops in his garage, where friends, neighbors, and Model A enthusiasts gathered to learn, troubleshoot, and share their experiences. David found joy in his close-knit community of friends in the Model A Ford Club. He and his fiancée, Svea “Ginger” Dellasandro, were avid tour participants and won many awards for their involvement over the years.
David and Ginger spent the last seven years together enjoying the things he loved most: fishing, road trips, visits with family, and traveling with the Model A Restorer’s Club. David’s kindness, thoughtfulness, and willingness to lend a hand left a lasting mark on everyone who knew him.
David was a proud Navy veteran and lifetime member of the American Legion, Post #0382 in Sanford, NC. He was also an active member of many organizations, including the:
– Model A Restorer’s Club
– Model A Ford Club of America
– MOOSE Fraternity Lodge 386
– Defenders of Wildlife
– National Rifleman’s Association
– North Carolina Wildlife Federation
– Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
– National Wildlife Federation
– National Parks Conservation Association
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Sandra “Sandy” Terrell, and his second wife, Elizabeth “Betty” Burton, whom he had been married to for 47 years. He was also preceded in death by his parents, Martin and Merna Burton, and his brother James “Jimmy” Burton.
David is survived by his loving fiancée, Svea “Ginger” Dellasandro; his daughter Rebecca “Becky” Smithwick (Howard); granddaughters Julianne Butler (Ryan) and Samantha Sparks (Levi); great-grandchildren Talan and Olivia Butler; and Becky’s half-brother, Paul Lindquist.
He will be remembered fondly by many people, including his stepdaughter Darleen “Darla” Kociemba (Floyd); grandsons Tyler and Jesse; and great-granddaughter Caroline, as well as his fiancée’s daughters, Anne Benson (Robert "Bobby") and Wanda Hall; her sons, Ellis Robert "Ray" Cannady, Jr. (Carolyn) and Jody Cannady (Melody); and grandchildren Erin Cass, Courtney Hall, Ashlyn Rubio (Kevin), Jacob Cannady, and Joshua Cannady.
David’s legacy also lives on in the memories of his brothers: Walter Burton (Dorothy) of Rice, MN; Gary Burton (Dot) of Waite Park, MN; and Roger Burton (Colleen) of Rice, MN; and through his nieces and nephews: Sherri Yeager, Randy Burton, Christine Burton, Donna Griffin, and Michael Burton.
Memorial Services:
A memorial service in North Carolina will be held on Saturday, August 9, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at Calvary Church, 185 Calvary Church Road, Olivia, NC 28368, led by Pastor Curtis Norris.
A Celebration of Life in Minnesota will take place on Thursday, September 11, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at VFW Post 6992, 901 N. Benton Dr., Sauk Rapids, MN 56379. All family and friends are welcome.
David Burton and Elizabeth Burton will be laid to rest together in niches 4C and 4D on the Hilltop Mausoleum 1 South Wall at Hilltop Mausoleum in Sauk Rapids, under the care of Williams Dingmann Funeral Home.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that charitable donations be made in David’s honor to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (https://pancan.org).
(rev. 7/27/25)
For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.
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City of Oaks Cremation and Funeral Home is a full-service funeral home in Raleigh, serving all of North Carolina and beyond. We provide an alternative to costly funeral homes and every day we help families in Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and all over North Carolina make simple, affordable funeral arrangements.
Simply having to reach out to a funeral home can feel overwhelming. Our goal is to simplify the entire funeral home experience and make the process as easy as possible. We hope to eliminate any unnecessary surprises by publishing our total cost and the services we provide directly on our website. All of our obituaries are provided free of charge as a way to help families celebrate and commemorate the lives of their loved ones.
Our Promise
Apples to Apples
Just like all other licensed funeral homes in North Carolina, City of Oaks Cremation, LLC is regulated by the NC Board of Funeral Service.
The same laws that apply to the big corporate funeral homes also apply to the modest independently owned firms like ours. All crematories in North Carolina, regardless of who owns them, are inspected annually by the state and must adhere to the same rules and laws.
Genuine Care
We're committed to providing families within our community unsurpassed service before, during and after the time of loss.
Our staff will provide clear communication to your family through each step as we move forward from the original phone call notifying us of a death to the time we deliver the urn back to your family. We will treat your family with the utmost respect, as we honor the wishes of your loved one.
We promise to make this process affordable and as endurable as possible.
State Wide
Our Funeral Home is located in Wake County NC; however, we provide our services to families throughout the entire State.
Unlike other funeral homes, we don't charge an additional mileage fee. Regardless of what county you live in, we can help your family with making simple, affordable funeral arrangements. From Asheville to Wilmington, we're proud to help families statewide.
Our Services
$1196.75
Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. We include everything you need for a simple or direct cremation. Simple, affordable and reliable. We have not changed the cost of our direct cremation service since we opened City of Oaks in 2012.
$2875.66
We offer the option of choosing how you receive your loved ones remains. Selecting our Direct Cremation with Solidified Remains option is a beautiful way to transform cremated remains into 40-60 “stones” that you can hold.
$1917.84
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation option with onsite visitation. Nobody likes surprise costs added in at the last minute. We guarantee you will not find any hidden charges here. Simple, affordable and reliable.
$1596.75
City of Oaks Funeral Home and Cremation provides an affordable cremation with a private family viewing. A private family viewing allows up to 10 immediate family members or friends to spend time with a loved one when a public visitation is not preferred.
$2497.50
An immediate burial has the same end result as a traditional burial; however, we have eliminated the extra (sometimes unnecessary) services prior to getting to the cemetery. Not everyone wants an open casket for viewing or a limousine for the family. Despite the term immediate, we can move as fast as you need or as slow as you like. This option simply allows you to save money by eliminating some of the fancy extras at the funeral home.
$6081.48
We offer the same traditional funeral services as the big corporately owned funeral homes in the area; however, we cost about half the amount. You might consider a traditional funeral service if your family is looking for an open casket visitation, a traditional church service or a funeral service in the funeral home's chapel. A traditional funeral service can be altered to fit the needs of your family.
$3033.75
This establishment is one of a select number of funeral homes who meet the criteria for providing green funeral service by the Green Burial Council; a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization working to encourage environmentally sustainability in the field of funeral service. Our Green options allow for a funeral to take place without the use of toxic and non-biodegradable materials/chemicals.
$2640.59
As an alternative to traditional cremation, City of Oaks Funeral Home also offers Aquamation. The Aquamation process, often referred to as alkaline hydrolysis, uses a solution of water and potassium hydroxide to facilitate natural decomposition.