Essie Elnora Burton Porter Doyle was born June 13, 1923, and passed from this life on July 29, 2021.  Born at the family home in Payne County, she was the 7 ^th child of Frances A. (Frank) Burton and Alpha Parnell Etheridge Burton. She attended schools in Payne County including High Prairie and Clayton and she graduated from Ripley High School in 1941.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Mobley-Groesbeck Funeral Service of Sand Springs.  Visitation will be on Sunday, August 1, from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Monday, August 2, from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The family will be greeting friends at the funeral home from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday.  The funeral will be at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 3 in the Mobley-Groesbeck Chapel, with Rev Ryan Amey officiating.  Interment will follow at 1:00 p.m. at Glenwood Cemetery, Perkins OK, where she will be buried next to her first husband, Harold Jay Porter.  Essie's service will be live-streamed on the Mobley-Groesbeck Funeral Service Facebook page for those unable to attend in person.

She is preceded in death by her parents and her siblings: Charlotte (Lottie) Sharpton; Dorothy (Opal) Courtright; Orville Burton; Clifford Burton; Elizabeth Doyle; Joe Burton; Wayne Burton and Herbert Burton. Also preceded in death by her husband Harold Jay Porter, husband Lee Addison Doyle, a still born baby boy, niece Anita Hanson, and by 3 great-grandchildren.

Essie met Harold Jay Porter while working in a cook shack in the wheat fields around Payne County when she was 13 years old.  They married December 22, 1942 in El Paso, Texas where he was stationed in the Army.  She and Harold had 5 surviving children:  Beverly Gagne, Linda Tatum, Kathy Meadows, Mike Porter, and Sherry Heim, 17 grandchildren, 43 great-grandchildren, 20 great-great-grandchildren, nephews Billy Doyle and David Doyle, and many other nieces and nephews and close friends.

After Harold Porter's death December 7, 1976, she married Lee Addison Doyle, who was the widower of Essie's sister Elizabeth on August 6, 1983 in Sapulpa.  Lee died August 11, 1990.

Essie was a long-time member of Memorial Bible Church in Tulsa and attended several years at Women's Fellowship Bible Study. She was a member, 30+ years of Eastside Home and Community Education program through OSU Extension.  She loved learning about all things connected to the home, crafts, health and family living. She attended a writing class and wrote many stories about her life.

Essie enjoyed working with her hands quilting, crocheting, knitting, painting, tatting, and gardening.  She won many blue ribbons at the Tulsa County Fair for her handiwork.  In her later years, her favorite activity was quilting.  She was known by her Rare Back Quilting group (kids and friends) as the "Quilting Maniac" because she was able to complete so many quilts and would stay up late at night to get "just a few more" blocks finished.

The Rare Back Quilters met every week on Tuesdays for quilting, lunch, and gossip.  The group got its name from the lunch.  We were so full from lunch that we would rare (rear) back and couldn't sew after lunch. Essie taught her daughters and daughter in law and grandchildren, and friends to quilt.  She was competitive in nature and would challenge us to "finish one" before she did.  Linda didn't even know they were in competition to finish when mom beat her! She loved to give her quilts away.  She made a quilt for all her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.  Well over 60 quilts.

Besides quilting, Essie enjoyed traveling with family and friends.  Her all time favorite trip was to the Holy Land and Europe with a guided tour.  She took guided bus trips to the northeast including Nova Scotia, Martha's Vineyard, and Washington D.C.  She and Harold attended his insurance conventions in Mackinac Island Michigan, Las Vegas, Bahamas and Hawaii.  She loved cruising with friends and family in the Caribbean and Bahamas.  She truly enjoyed attending her bi-annual Burton Family reunions in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Arkansas, Florida, and Oklahoma to see her many-many cousins. She enjoyed playing games and cards.

When their children were growing up, Harold and Essie spent many weeks during the summertime at the lake tent camping.  They owned a boat and taught all the kids to water ski.  They hosted many dance parties at their house when they were young and liked to "honky-tonk" with friends.  They loved to dance and all the kids loved it too.

Essie could recite all the President's names since the time she was born and was proud that she could remember them all.