Barbara J. Leal

Barbara Jean Leal was born to Dwight L. Burton and Myrtle Pottinger Burton on April 1, 1925 in Topeka, Kansas. She was the sixth of nine children.

Barbara began her childhood education at Buchanan Elementary School, continued on to Holy Name Catholic School from first through eighth grade, and then graduated from Hayden High School in 1943. She attended the University of Kansas until her mother became ill, causing her to withdraw and return home to care for her. While attending KU, she joined the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. During WWII, she met her future husband, Lucien J. Leal. They were married in Topeka, Kansas at Holy Name Catholic Church on June 19, 1948. To this union were born eight children. Barbara was involved in the Cub Scouts while her boys were young and she enjoyed showing the children how to do arts and crafts, as well as walk on stilts and turn cartwheels. The neighborhood children loved to hang out at the Leal house. Although Barbara was baptized in the Catholic Church as a child, she received Christ through the baptism of the Holy Spirit on Thanksgiving Day, 1974.

A caregiver by nature, she worked as a psychiatric aide at the Menninger Foundation in Topeka, Kansas and retired after 20 years of service. After retiring, she began caring for foster children and was able to be a mother to a whole new group of children.

In Topeka, Barbara was very active in community projects in her beloved neighborhood, Tennessee Town, and fought to keep out criminal activity while revitalizing the community. She was also active in her church, Asbury-Mount Olive Methodist Church.

In 2011, she made the decision to move to Houston, Texas to be closer to family. Though she missed Topeka, moving to Houston did not slow her down. She immediately made new friends and began attending the Acres Homes Senior Citizens Program five days a week, and became a member of Trinity United Methodist Church.

Barbara was preceded in death by her parents, Dwight and Myrtle Burton, brothers, Curtis, Irving, Phillip, and John Burton, sisters, Marion Jones, Susan Davidson, her son, Merrill J. Leal and her husband, Lucien J. Leal. She leaves to mourn her sister, Eleanor Anderson (John), brother Earl Burton, sons Kevin (Karen), Eric (Mary), Michael (Maritza), daughter-in-law, Christina Leal, and daughters, Deborah Dirden (Willie), Carmen Scott (Gary), Diane Leal (Joey), and Patricia Mack (Jesse), 26 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren, as well as a host of nieces and nephews, and an abundance of relatives and friends who loved her.