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Rufus C. Burleson, R.I.P. Our Condolences To Mary Frances

It is with a saddened heart I tell you that Mary Frances Burelson,  President and CEO of the Ebby Halliday Companies, has lost her beloved life mate of more than 55 years, Rufus C. Burleson. Mr. Burleson died in his sleep on November 13 while accompanying his wife to the National Association of Realtors convention in San Diego, CA.  The Dallas native was 77 years old and lived with Mary Frances in Sachse. Our Park Cities People blog reports that both Rufus and Mary Frances attended Highland Park High School. A graduate of Texas Tech with a degree in animal husbandry, Rufus served in the U. S. military and had a successful career in residential home construction. Upon retirement, he and his wife bred championship Boxers at their 11.5 acre kennel. Visitation is at Restland Funeral Home on Thursday, November 19 from 6-8 p.m. Burial will be private at noon on November 20. A memorial service and celebration of Mr. Burleson’s life is scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at Park Cities Baptist Church, where he was an active member and Deacon . A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall. Memorial contributions may be made to Buckner International, c/o Jim Huey, Buckner Foundation, 600 N. Pearl St., Ste. 2260, Dallas, 75201 or the American Boxer Charitable Foundation, ABCF Memorial Endowment Fund, P.O. Box 8667, Spokane, WA 99203. Jump for more information which was released by Ebby Halliday late this afternoon:

RUFUS C. BURLESON

Rufus C. Burleson, III passed away in his sleep on November 13, 2009. He was 77.  A Dallas native, born on May 22, 1932 at Baylor Hospital, he lived in Sachse, Texas with his wife, Mary Frances.

He was a Texas Tech graduate, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Husbandry in 1954, before joining the service where he was a First Lieutenant in the Army serving at Camp Chaffee in Arkansas.

After returning to Dallas, he had a successful career in residential construction. He “retired” to follow a passion that he and his wife shared, and began breeding and raising show Boxers full time.

He managed Marburl kennel situated on 11 1/2 acres, and enjoyed much success having completed American Kennel Club championships on at least 45 Boxers, many of whom were homebred and carried the kennel name Marburl Boxers. Marburl Boxers have won the prestigious American Boxer Club (ABC) Annual Specialty twice, the American Boxer Club Regional Specialty twice and the American Boxer Club Futurity once. In addition, one of Marburl’s International Champions won the ABC Legion of Merit. Rufus also was a well-respected judge in Boxer Specialties, judging Boxer Specialty Shows in Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Japan and Australia, and many Boxer Clubs throughout the US. The Burlesons received many awards for their show dogs, including the Life Time Achievement Award from the American Boxer Club.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Lucille Moore Burleson and Rufus C. Burleson Jr., a sister, Ann Burleson Honea, as well as his great-grandfather, Rufus C. Burleson who was president of Baylor University; Burleson Hall is named in his honor.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Mary Frances Burleson, niece Lisa Ingison of Dallas and many cousins in Dallas, Waco, Houston and Austin. Additionally, he will be remembered by many friends from his college days, Boxer owners, fishing and hunting friends and friends at Park Cities Baptist Church, where he was also a Deacon and a member of Floyd’s Faithfuls Sunday School class.

Rufus was an avid outdoorsman and grew up a member of the Boy Scouts reaching the impressive rank of Eagle Scout. He loved scouting and in his earlier years was a Scoutmaster. He also worked as a trail guide at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Rufus loved to hunt and fish, and especially enjoyed fly fishing. He fished many of the best rivers around the world, recently completing trips to South America, Alaska and Canada.

Rufus loved life and always had a smile on his face and a kind word for the people who were lucky enough to be around him. He was a devoted husband, who shared life with his soul mate and best friend, Mary Frances. He never missed a chance to support her real estate career and loved nothing more than sharing in her success and honors.

A true renaissance man, he was an artist and was well-known for his Boxer-inspired original paintings, “Dog Art,” which he created for each holiday. The paintings were reproduced as postcards for several thousand people who looked forward to receiving his latest “dog” masterpiece bestowing blessings for Thanksgiving or celebrating love on Valentines Day.

The memorial service and celebration of life is Friday, November 20 at 2 p.m. at Park Cities Baptist Church, 3933 Northwest Parkway, Dallas 75225. A reception will follow in the Fellowship Hall. A private burial will happen at noon. Visitation will be held at Restland Funeral Home on Thursday, November 19 from 6-8 p.m.

Honorary pallbearers are Larry Byrd, Bob Gayden, Marshall Comerer, Fred Pendleton, Franklyn Thiebaud and Jon White.

Memorial contributions may be made to Buckner International, c/o Jim Huey, Buckner Foundation, 600 N. Pearl St., Ste. 2260, Dallas, 75201 or the American Boxer Charitable Foundation, ABCF Memorial Endowment Fund, P.O. Box 8667, Spokane, WA 99203.