St. John's and Seal Cove native Ethel Marie (Parsons) Burton, 99, passed away peacefully after a short illness on January 24, 2019 in Laconia, New Hampshire, USA where she and Harold Burton, her husband of 79 years, had moved in 2014. Ethel was raised in Seal Cove, Conception Bay, the daughter of Richard Parsons and Jenny (Harvey) and was one of five children (Barbara, Richard, Betty and Andrew). Her sister, Barbara (Parsons) Peet, of Holiday, Florida, survives her. Born in St. John's on July 20, 1919, Ethel married Hal in Bishops Falls on August 20, 1939, less than two weeks before the start of WWII on September 1, 1939. The young couple welcomed their first son, Peter, in May 1942 in St. John's while Hal worked as a welder and hospital orderly at various military installations. They moved to Toronto in 1945 where second son Gary was born. Hal and Ethel would later live in St. Albans (on New York's Long Island), Brooklyn and Springfield, Mass., before welcoming third son Richard. Ethel and Hal's home in Grantham, New Hampshire was a place of great joy and together they frequently hosted their three sons, their wives (Patti, Chris and Barbara), seven grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and numerous Newfoundland family members who were visiting the States. Ethel and Hal brought their family back to Newfoundland frequently including in 1961 when son Peter and Hal drove the family from Port Aux Basques (through horrendous forest fires) to reach St. John's. Ethel and Hal travelled widely (including trips to England, Germany, Nicaragua and Australia) and to see Ethel's sisters in Florida and Upper Gullies and her brothers in Seal Cove and Brooklyn. Ethel was a proud Newfoundlander and saw to it that the family frequently displayed the Newfoundland flag at her home. Ethel climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia with one of her grandsons while in her 80's. Always up for a challenge, this energetic woman eagerly embraced all that life offered her. Donations can be made to the Newfoundland (St. John's) Salvation Army in Ethel's name or to a charity of the donor's choice.