TRAGIC LOSS OF TWO CLASSMATES 7-12-20

 October 17, 2020 - In cleaning out some emails I found the following to me from John 10/21/05 after our 40th reunion: 

HEY GUYS,

I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR PUTTING TOGETHER ONE OF THE BEST REUNIONS WE'VE HAD.  WE OUT OF TOWNER'S TAKE A LOT FOR GRANTED BECAUSE YOU FOLKS DO SUCH A GOOD JOB, WE ROLL IN, HAVE A GREAT TIME, DON'T WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING, THEN JUST LEAVE AGAIN (KIND OF LIKE HAVING GRANDKIDS). I KNOW YOU MUST HAVE WORKED HARD TO PULL IT ALL TOGETHER, AND I WANTED TO KNOW IT WAS APPRECIATED.  THANKS AGAIN AND I'LL SEE YOU IN FIVE YEARS.

 

JOHN EMERLINE

 John was a great classmate and friend to many, I know he is missed and remembered, we can only hope he is resting in peace.  lvr

July 12th our two classmates, Jim Burton and John Emerline, good friends for all these decades, were together off the coast of Emerald Isle, NC when Jim appeared to be having trouble in the water, John dove in to try to save him and both drowned.  That area is well known for serious undertows; according to my cousin who lives there last year was one of the worst.  We're all in shock.  Jim was only with us sophomore and junior years then his family moved back to NC for his dad's career.  Please see John's obituary here and I'll post Jim's below that.  You can also see them on my Facebook page:

John Carroll Emerline, 73, of Raleigh, NC passed on Sunday, July 12, 2020, while doing what he loved, swimming in the Atlantic Ocean with his good friend. He was born in Philadelphia, PA on May 13, 1947, son of the late John and Mildred (Suse) Emerline.

John graduated from Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, MO in 1965. He attended Southeast Missouri State University and Temple University and was a proud alumnus of the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol in Wildwood Crest, NJ.

John is survived by his wife of 50 years, Ingrid; their sons, Jason (Angie) of Raleigh, NC, Michael of Dunedin, FL, and Joshua of Blowing Rock, NC; and grandchildren, Jensen and Reagan Emerline of Raleigh, NC. He is also survived by sisters, Johan Glembocki of Annandale, VA and Judy (Frank) Bertini of Annandale, VA, as well as his sister in-law, Margo Froelich and niece, Terri Mazzotta, Godmother, aunt Barbara Mondevergine of Philadelphia and cousins.

John was a lifelong baseball fan, so much so that in 1964 he hollowed out a book to hold his transistor radio to clandestinely listen to the World Series while in school. John rarely missed a Yankees game.

John moved his family to Raleigh in 1986 and later purchased Quality Business Machines, which he operated until his passing.

John was an avid tennis player…regularly playing multiple times per week at his favorite Seven Oaks Club. He won several doubles championships along the way.

John was a master tinkerer who could fix almost anything. There wasn’t an item around the house or office that he wouldn’t try to fix, re-purpose, or recondition.

John and Ingrid celebrated their 50th anniversary with a trip to Europe (London, Paris and Normandy beaches, pictured above) in 2019.

When he wasn’t playing tennis, John loved the beach and photography. His favorite moments were spent in Emerald Isle with his family, soaking up the sun and Southern Comfort while snapping photos of his beloved granddaughters.

John was a loyal owner of several German Shepherds throughout his life. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in memory of John to Freedom German Shepherd Rescue at https://www.freedomgermanshepherdrescue.org/ or a charity of your choice.

 

 

James Howard Burton, Jr., 72, of Cornelius, NC passed away on July 12, 2020. Jim was born in Winston-Salem, NC on December 19, 1947 to the late James Howard Burton, Sr. and Margaret Burton. He was a graduate of Myers Park High School and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of Delta Sigma Pi Fraternity. Jim went to work with his father at Jim Burton Agency and later retired from RW Chapman & Company.

When he was not spending time on the golf course, he was enjoying time with his family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Barbara Burton, and their daughters, Stephanie (Scott) Pendleton and Carrie (Jeff) Dunham and grandchildren, Tyler Pendleton, Max Pendleton and Davis Dunham, as well as Jim's brothers Mike (Nancy) Burton, Chuck (Sarah Newell) Burton and Bob (Wanda)Burton. A visitation will be held on Friday, July 17th from 4:00 -8:00 p.m. at Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home, 16901 Old Statesville Road, Huntersville, NC. Due to the NC Governor's Executive Order a Sign-Up Genius has been set up to control the number of people allowed in funeral home.https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A49ACAF2CA75-james . The memorial service will be held at 4:00 pm Saturday, July 18th, in the chapel of Raymer-Kepner Funeral Home. There are no restrictions on attendance for this event however, the service will be broadcast via Zoom Meeting,https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85915497132?pwd=OEFnaFpoZ2liSm90MFhRUHc5MDRIZz09