Claudia B Burraston

Claudia Burraston passed away on February 20, 2022 at the age of 80. Claudia was born in Payson, Utah on July 14, 1941 to Harry Walter and Iona Robertson Butenhoff. She was the youngest of five children. Claudia grew up in Spanish Fork, Utah, graduated from Spanish Fork High School and was a proud cheerleader of the Spanish Fork Dons. After attending business college in Salt Lake, she returned to Spanish Fork and married her childhood sweetheart, Jay Burraston on December 2nd, 1960. Claudia and Jay both worked at Geneva Steel in Utah County for several years after their marriage. In 1968, Jay got a job opportunity to sell life insurance door to door for Metropolitan Life. They were offered Spanish Fork, Richfield or Vernal as their choice of territory. They decided that Vernal was the choice and they made the move. After Claudia experienced her first Vernal winter, she wasn't quite convinced they had made the right choice. Soon after though, Claudia began to meet the wonderful people of Vernal, and soon realized she belonged here. She worked several jobs after moving here including working as a stylist for Reva's Beauty Shop and as a secretary for Stauffer Chemical and for Carroll Hart in the oilfield. In 1973, Jay and Claudia decided to make the jump into starting their own business and opened Eastern Utah Insurance. She always laughed that she had a desk and a phone and sat there waiting for the phone to ring. They soon made many friends and the business began to grow. In 1982, her beloved Jay was killed in a car accident and Claudia had to take the reins of the business, her family, and their entire world. Claudia built her insurance agencies over a span of 49 years and became a pillar in the Utah insurance industry, and she never retired. After Jay's passing, she often said that working had saved her life and the healing was thanks to her new extended family, the people of Vernal. She is preceded in death by her husband Jay Burraston, her parents Harry and Iona Butenhoff, siblings Harrison "Boots" Butenhoff of Monroe, WI, Shirley Butenhoff of Spanish Fork, UT, Barbara Hirst of Canaan, CT and Kathryn "Kay" Kish of Malibu, CA, in-laws Jim & Doris Burraston of Spanish Fork, UT and best friend Marge Gagon of Vernal. Claudia is survived by her children Allison (Dean) Barber of Lehi, Gregg Burraston of Ivins and Jason Burraston of Vernal, five grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. Also survived by her adopted family John Oberhansly, Josh Harbison and all of her wonderful staff of Eastern Utah Insurance & Direct Insurance and the Garcia/Soberanis family. An open house was held on Saturday, February 26, 2022 at the Uintah Conference Center, 313 East 200 South, Vernal from 10:00am-2:00pm. A private graveside followed in the Maeser Fairview Cemetery.