Billie Olliene Burnham's Obituary
Billie Olliene Burnham was born September 2, 1938, to Roy Lee “Tex” Brown and Bertha Watson Brown. Very shortly after birth, she joined the loving family of Ollie Otto and Eva Dever and her older sister, Marcia Yvonne, through adoption. Much of her early life was spent in Midland, Texas, where she met her sweetheart, Jiles Burnham, in the ninth grade. They loved each other right away and married at age 17 in 1956. They were married for 60 years, or as Billie was known to say, “Sixty and a half years.” She was devoted to Jiles and had missed him fiercely over the last nine and a half years.
Billie was also known as Olliene, Mama, and Granny. She is survived by their five children: Glynnes Jarman (Steve) of New Boston, Texas, David Burnham of Nashville, Tennessee, Cheryl Henson (John) of Longview, Texas, Alan Burnham (Becky) of Warrenton, Virginia, and Julie Workman (Tom) of Warrenton, Virginia; twenty-one grandchildren; thirty-four great-grandchildren; and three great-great-grandchildren. She is also survived by numerous relatives from the Brown line of love.
Going before her were her husband, Jiles Leonard Burnham; her parents, Ollie Otto and Eva Dever; her sister, Marcia Yvonne Chandler; and her birth parents, Roy Lee and Bertha Brown.
Billie loved learning and language (especially Latin) in high school and considered becoming a Latin teacher. She was notoriously curious, feisty, funny, dramatic, and compassionate. She loved quilting, crocheting, and reading. She enjoyed a variety of word games, card games, and dice. She especially loved telling a good story, often asking, “Do you have time for one more anecdote?”
She was deeply and confidently rooted in faith in her Savior, Jesus Christ. She lived her faith sincerely by reading and meditating on scripture, walking with Christ, and sharing the Good News with others. In the last four years of her life, she was a resident at Lake Manassas Health and Rehabilitation Center. She was known to ask nearly everyone who entered her room if they knew Jesus. She prayed every day that those she knew and anyone she encountered would know the comfort and peace she found in her faith. She was a faithful servant of her Savior and would want her obituary to invite others to know him. She loved all scripture, but would especially love anyone who reads this to be blessed by these:
Proverbs 17:22: A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Philippians 4:6-7: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Billie died on April 4, 2026, and has been reunited with her sweetheart at last.
Memorial services will be held at a later date.
An online guestbook and tribute wall are available at https://www.foundandsons.com
Found and Sons Funeral Chapel of Culpeper is serving the family.
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