Sylvia Rayvel Burrus of McKinney, Texas passed away on January 6, 2022 at the age of 82. She was born on September 12, 1939 to Raymond Lee and Velma Lillian (Sorrells) Moseley in Colorado City, Texas. Rayvel married Dr. Jack Sanford Burrus on June 3, 1961 in Colorado City, Texas. She was a member of First Christian Church of McKinney.
Rayvel graduated from high school in Colorado City in 1957. She then attended Texas Tech University where she met Sanford, and they fell in love. After attending Texas Tech, she moved to Dallas, Texas for Sanford to attend Baylor University College of Dentistry. She then trained and became a registered medical technologist and worked at Baylor University Hospital.
Following Sanford’s graduation from dental school, they moved to New London, Connecticut, where Sanford was stationed at the U.S. Navy submarine base. After serving two years in the Navy, they returned to McKinney, Sanford’s hometown. Rayvel started her family and lived for the next 55 years in McKinney. She was a homemaker and stay-at-home mom until her youngest child was school age. She then became the office manager for Sanford’s dental practice until their retirement in 2004.
Rayvel was active in the McKinney community as a Boy Scouts den mother, deaconess in the church, garden club member, and long-time member of the Jean D’Arc Literary Club. In addition, she fully participated in and supported all of her children’s school and extracurricular activities. She was an avid reader of everything from mysteries and religious texts to non-fiction and Danielle Steel novels.
She and Sanford had been part of a supper club that has lasted decades and counts many of its members as her closest friends. She perhaps enjoyed nothing more than traveling the world with Sanford and their kids and completed too many cruises to count.
She was a generous supporter of various charities and causes, including the First Christian Church of McKinney, American Parkinson Disease Association, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, ALS Association, Meals on Wheels, Toys for Tots, and others.
She is survived by her daughter, Michelle Weiner and husband Dr. Richard Weiner of Dallas, Texas; son, Matthew Burrus and husband, Michael Pearce of Houston, Texas; grandchildren, Brandon Fuller, Estelle Burrus- Pearce, Winston Burrus-Pearce, Elizabeth Burrus and Emma Burrus; brothers, Richard Moseley and Ronnie Moseley and wife Robi Moseley; and numerous other loving family and friends.
After nearly 56 years of marriage, Rayvel was preceded in death by her husband in 2017. She was also preceded in death by her parents; and son, Charles Michael Burrus in 2001.
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 12, 2022 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home in Allen, Texas. The service will be livestreamed at https://celebrationoflife.tv/blog/sylvia-rayvel-burrus. After the service, the recorded livestream will be available for viewing at the same link.
Interment will follow at Pecan Grove Cemetery in McKinney, Texas, where she will be buried next to her husband. The family will receive friends during a visitation on Tuesday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home.