Irma Josephine Burton was born the sixth of seven children to Charles E. and Ida K. Burton on September 27, 1940. She was raised on the Burton Ranch off Highway 2 and her heart remained there her entire life, even when her travels took her other places.
She attended school in a one-room school house until the 8th grade when she went to the Nebraska School of Agriculture High School in Curtis, NE. She moved to Denver after high school where she met her husband to be, Keith Hodges.
Irma and Keith were married November 30, 1959. They spent most of their first 20 years in the Denver, Colorado area. She worked in accounting for several different businesses and began raising her four children.
In 1978, Irma and her family moved to the mountains of Colorado and opened a restaurant in Como. She started this business from scratch with little more than determination, the best work ethic ever known, and her family as her crew. Because of her dedication and strength of will, the Como Depot Restaurant and Bed and Breakfast was a successful operation for almost 30 years.
When Irma and Keith sold the restaurant and retired in 2008, she was able to return to her family home in Nebraska. They renovated and moved in to the house where her father was born. She was finally back home where she could garden, sew, quilt, and find peace in the heart of the Sandhills. She found joy every day through things as simple as sunshine glinting off a frosted leaf and the giggle of a child.
Irma was predeceased by four brothers: Howard, Vernon, Frank and Harold. Her sisters, Pauline (Bryant) Prewitt and Betty (Robert) Douglas, also passed on before her leaving her as the final sibling of the Charles Burton family.
She is survived by her children; Timothy Hodges of Sierra Vista, AZ, Stephen Hodges of Avon, CO/ Bingham, NE, Suzanne (Jim) Reed of Huachuca City, AZ, and Tracy (Dean) Vincent of Leadville CO. She had nine grandchildren: Brandon (Sharon) Hodges, Erin Hodges, Matthew (Tina) Taylor, Stephanie (Danny) Rodriguez, Nichole Taylor, Chris Taylor, Anthony (Aliscia) Vincent, Katherine (Kyle) Mulligan, and Cody Vincent. Her nieces and nephews, Gene, Jim, and Howard Dean Burton; Vernon Lee and Charles Burton, and Linda, Larry, Danny, and Barbara Prewitt. Irma was blessed by numerous great grandchildren.
Irma died peacefully in Loveland Colorado and her legacy will live on through her children, grandchildren and the many works of art she created through her quilting, sewing and needlework. She will be missed by many.
