Sharon Kay Burns

Sharon King Burns, 82, of Edmond, OK was a devoted educator, historian, cherished wife, mother, and grandmother. Sharon was born on July 16, 1943, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Jewell Buel King and Ellie Lucille Patton King. She, along with her older brother, spent her early childhood in Oklahoma City and Ardmore before moving with her family to the 50-acre farm in Springer, Oklahoma, where she lived from 1956 to 1960. Those years on the family farm shaped her love of heritage, hard work, and storytelling.

Sharon graduated from Ardmore High School in 1961 and went on to attend Central State College, where she earned her Bachelor of Education degree in Elementary Education in the spring of 1964. On January 23, 1964, she married her high school sweetheart, Truman Boyd Burns, in Guthrie, Oklahoma. They were blessed with 2 daughters in 1966 and 1969 and eventually 5 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild. Together they built a life marked by dedication to family, community, and service.

Sharon began her teaching career in Spring of 1965 at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in Oklahoma City, where she taught 5th‑grade. In fall of 1965 after moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico, she taught 7th and 8th‑grade math at Madison Jr. High. In 1966, the family relocated to Kansas City, Kansas, where she taught at Mark Twain Elementary in 1967 as a 4th‑grade teacher. In 1969 they moved to Bonner Springs, Kansas, where Sharon worked as a bookkeeper at State Bank from 1972 to 1974.

In 1976, Sharon and her family returned to Edmond, Oklahoma, to be closer to loved ones. She continued her education, earning a master’s degree in library science from the University of Central Oklahoma. In 1981, she began a long and influential career with Edmond Public Schools, serving as Media Director at three schools: Sunset Elementary (1981–1984), Charles Haskell Elementary (1984–1989), and John Ross Elementary (1989–2003). She retired in 2003 after 22 years of dedicated service.

Beyond her work in education, Sharon was widely known for her passion for genealogy. From 1992 to 2018, she served as a genealogy columnist for The Daily Oklahoman, writing the “We the People” column, which connected countless readers with their family histories. She formed her own company, Roots ‘N Research in 1988 performing genealogical research and consulting in computer genealogy. Growing up in Oklahoma and hearing stories of her grandmother’s family making the 1889 land run into Oklahoma Territory piqued her interest to specializing in Oklahoma and Native American research. She was a member of the Oklahoma Genealogical Society Board of Directors. She attended several genealogy courses at Northwest Oklahoma State University and Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research sessions at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She also lectured a beginner’s workshop at the 1991 Dallas Genealogical Symposium. She and her husband planned their vacations traveling across the United States with genealogical activities and researching their own ancestor’s journey across America. She never lost her librarian’s curiosity as “no trip is complete until we check out the local bookstores for historical books about the area.”

Sharon’s leadership extended into community and youth organizations. She was recognized in the 1965 edition of Outstanding Young Women of America. In her early school age years, she was a Bluebird with Campfire for Girls then as a youth, she served as Worthy Advisor for the Ardmore Assembly of Rainbow for Girls, also serving as a Grand Choir Member. She was also an honorary member of the Guthrie Assembly Order of Rainbow for Girls.

As an adult, Sharon became a member of the Order of Eastern Star Chapter 12 in Guthrie, Oklahoma and later had dual membership with the Edmond Chapter 257. In the early 1980s, she served as Mother Advisor for the Edmond Assembly of Rainbow for Girls, guiding young women with grace and encouragement.

She was a Campfire Girls leader for both of her girls in Kansas and Oklahoma and was awarded the Sebago National Honor Award for her service to the Campfire organization.

Sharon left this world on May 1, 2026. Sharon is survived by her beloved husband of 62 years, Truman Boyd Burns of Edmond, Oklahoma; her daughters, Gina Kay and her husband Jeff Cox of Edmond and Trina Lea and her husband Jim Belcher of Earlsboro, Oklahoma; grandchildren Abby Nicole and husband Dave Carlton, Connor Eliot and wife Gennifer Robb, Jake Dawson and wife Natalie Cox, Colton Riley Cox, and Matthew Ryan Robb; and newly born great‑grandson, Marshall Boyd Cox.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Jewell Buel King and Ellie Lucille Patton King; and her brother, Paul Leon King.

Sharon’s life was defined by curiosity, compassion, and a deep commitment to preserving the stories of those who came before her. Her legacy lives on in the countless students she taught, the readers she inspired, and the family she loved so dearly.

Public visitation will be held on Tuesday, May 5, 2026, from 5:00pm to 7:00 p.m. at Matthews Funeral Home in Edmond, OK. 

Services will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, beginning at 10:00 a.m. at the Matthews Funeral Home Chapel in Edmond, OK. Interment is to be held following the service at Memorial Park Cemetery in Oklahoma City, OK.