In Memory of … Brian “Mr. B” Burton

Gone Too Soon But Never Forgotten

by Blair Parke

Most students at Lake Whitney Elementary School in Winter Garden did not feel as if their day had started unless they were high-fived by physical education teacher Brian Burton, lovingly called “Mr. B” by teachers, parents and students alike. He was the smile to brighten their days, the comforting shoulder to cry on, and the childlike jokester who regularly pranked school counselor Tambi Durham more times than she can count.

So it was a shock to all when the school was notified that Mr. B suddenly passed away; Lake Whitney’s light that brought so much happiness to others now laid to rest. However, through the memories of his fellow teachers and administrative staff, Mr. B’s legacy will live on and influence the lives of future students as well.

“He was ‘that guy’ who gave high-fives, sat with the students whose parents couldn’t make an important event, dressed up as a leprechaun, and had a giant pair of sneakers to match every outfit he wore,” said Brenda Dasher, a fourth-grade teacher.

“Mr. B was always so positive,” said Martha Amato, the school’s former registrar and a co-worker of Mr. B’s for 16 years. “I loved talking to him about the Super Bowl commercials on the Monday morning after the game. We would laugh and laugh about which ones were the best. He would often re-enact them, which brought on more laughter.”

Martha’s most treasured memory of Mr. B was the time he helped her move supplies to the school and had to fit his 6-foot-3-inch frame into her small Volkswagen Beetle, quoting from the movie Tommy Boy, “Big guy in a little suit.”

Fifth-grade teacher Renee Leach remembers riding rides at Epcot and sleeping on the Orlando Science Center floor with students and Mr. B during several of the fifth-grade field trips that he helped chaperone.

“He also had a great sense of humor,” Renee said, with a laugh. “In fact, one time while staying overnight in our rooms on a Tallahassee trip, Mr. B helped unclog a stopped-up/overflowing toilet that had occurred, and [he] came out of the room just smiling while wearing protective gloves, [and]he stated, ‘Love you all, but that was an experience — you all owe me!’”

051916inmemory01Lake Whitney Elementary School front office staff members (front, l. to r.) Debbie Reason, Tambi Durham, Mary DeVitis, (middle, l. to r.) Lynne Patterson, Karen Hewett, Beth Prince, Kim Smirti, Jennifer Birk, (back, l. to r.) Shannon Ross and Beverly Childs gather around a commemorative photo of the late Brian Mr. BBurton.

Counselor Durham definitely knew many elements of Mr. B’s humor, especially the various pranks he pulled on her throughout the school year. From regularly hiding her walkie-talkie to changing her computer screen saver to jumping out and scaring her around school, Tambi enjoyed Mr. B’s playful side that was shown to all ages.

“We all loved his mischievous spirit,” she said. “But shenanigans aside, he was our constant, our ‘Honey B,’ our go-to for help with any and everything we needed. B was more than a friend; he was family, gone much too soon.”

Trish Barker, a third-grade teacher and Mr. B’s co-worker of 18 years, remembered the encouragement Mr. B gave to her son to wear sneakers, which he proudly did two days before Mr. B’s passing.

051916inmemory02A collage in remembrance of the late Brian Mr. BBurton.

“Besides my husband, father and father-in-law, he was the most amazing role model of what a man is to me and my children,” she said. “A day doesn’t go by that I don’t miss hearing his voice at PE and seeing his smiling face.”

LWES Principal Elizabeth Prince believes the best way to describe Mr. B and the legacy he left for the school can be depicted in the acronym for “high-five,” his signature move for welcoming all: H for helping hand, I for involved, G for giving, H for hugs, F for fun-loving, I for infectious, V for very positive, and E for everyone loved him.

Plans are in order to create a school memorial in honor of Mr. B, represented as a hand up in a high-five motion, so students can still get their motivating high-fives to make their days complete.

If nothing else, Mr. B’s larger-than-life personality and smile that lit up a room will solidify the memory of who he was for the LWES community and what he believed of the students.

Ms. Dasher summed it up best about the impact that Mr. B left behind:

“Mr. B was ‘that guy’ … and because we were blessed to have had him in our lives, we will be OK. ‘That guy’ would want it that way.” 💓