Selma Corine Burch

Selma Corine Burch was born in Marlow to Edwin and Grace Koonce Mitchell on September 13, 1930. She passed away on July 24, 2020, in Hampton Manor Memory Care in Ocala, Florida at the age of 89.

She was part of a large family and the bonds that were formed in Corine’s youth guided every aspect of her life. Nothing was more important to her than her family. She began her own family when she married Roy Roberson Burch on June 19, 1948. Corine and Roy placed membership at Eastside Church of Christ shortly after and they were faithful members of the church until their passing. They had two children, Roy Neil Burch and Karen Sue Ernst. However, Corine’s family expanded beyond the household; she cared for extended family as if they were her own. The back door of their home was always open and anyone could walk in at any time and find a meal and her undivided attention.

In addition to being the family matriarch, she worked full-time for 42 years as a bookkeeper for Van & Walker Lumber, which eventually became T.H. Rogers. Working didn’t hinder her ability or desire to enjoy life. There wasn’t a weekend she wasn’t shopping with her sisters or with Roy. He didn’t enjoy the shopping as much as her sisters; in fact, there were many times he would wait in the car patiently for her to come out of many fabric and craft stores looking for items for her current projects. Along with raising a family, working, and shopping, she painted, sewed, did needlework, cooked, and crafted in her spare time. There wasn’t anything she didn’t think she could make at home and she wasn’t wrong. Corine was also the perfect granny; her granddaughters and great-grandchildren brought her tremendous joy and they all loved time spent with her.

Corine is survived by her daughter, Karen Sue Ernst (Gary); daughter-in-law, Lynn Ernst Burch of Bellview, Florida; four granddaughters: Amy Reddick (Robb) of Orlando, Florida; Sandra Hurst (Mike) of Duncan, Oklahoma; Amber Merritt (Casey) of Orlando, Florida; and Ashley Garner (Thomas) of DeBury, Florida. She had seven great grandchildren: Hunter Reddick, Declan Hurst, Grant Reddick, Landon Garner, Gavin Garner, Chase Merritt, and Chloe Merritt. She is also survived by two sisters-in-law, Oddie Burch and Marsha Mitchell Bess; and many special nieces and nephews, all of whom she loved dearly. Corine was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Roy R. Burch; her son, Roy Neil Burch; and her beloved siblings: Bernadean Burch, Tay Towell, Reba Gentry, Granville Mitchell, and Don Mitchell.

She will be greatly missed, but the impact she made on her family will ensure her memory will remain. No one spent time with Corine without learning a skill or a life lesson. She taught many lessons, but the most important was to cherish the time spent with family.

The family wishes to extend a special thank you to her caregivers at Hampton Manor Memory Care in Ocala, Florida.

Family visitation will be Thursday, July 30, from 5:30-7:00 P.M. at Whitt Funeral Home. Funeral service will be at 10:00 A.M. Friday, July 31, at Eastside Church of Christ with Ron Stough officiating. Burial will be at Duncan Cemetery under the direction of Whitt Funeral Home.

Online condolences can be made to the family at www.whittfh.com.
 

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