Cecil Lee Barton, 80, passed away at his home in Platte City on Monday, May 4.
Barton had served several terms as a Platte City alderman in the 1990s.
A complete obituary is published elsewhere in this issue of The Landmark.
According to his obituary, he died surrounded by his family. Cecil was born on July 2, 1939 in Buchanan County to William Asberry Barton, Sr. and Elsie Pippin (Goad) Barton. He was raised in Dearborn and graduated from North Platte High School in 1957, where he was active in basketball and football. He later graduated from Northwest Missouri State College, where he earned a lifetime teaching certificate.
In 1959 he married his high school sweetheart, Cora May Riddle, who survives him. They celebrated 61 years of marriage on April 24, 2020. They had three children, Veleicia Ann, who died in infancy, Rhonda Sue, and Douglas Lee; three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Barton had been an avid softball player and served as manager of the Riddle-Hevalow (later Wells Bank) softball team, playing over 100 softball games per year. When he was no longer able to play softball he served as an enthusiastic spectator of his grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s softball and baseball games and he served as the scorekeeper for the North Platte girls’ softball team for several years.
Cecil was a school teacher for a few years before starting a 37 year career at TWA, later American Airlines. He retired in 2003. According to his obituary, he enjoyed retirement and spent his time indulging in his favorite hobbies: fishing, reading, attending auctions, browsing flea markets, and visiting with his friends over coffee. He enjoyed researching his family’s genealogy and had spent time connecting with his extended Barton family and learning more about his family’s history.