Sterlin Ray Burney August 27, 1981 ~ October 22, 2025 (age 44)

Funeral services for Sterlin Burney, 44, of Elida, will be held at 10:00 AM, Tues., Oct. 28, 2025 in the Wheeler Mortuary Chapel, with Pat Boone officiating.  Burial will follow in the Elida Cemetery with Cody Winders, John Hatcher, J. D. Kibbe, Kwayde Stevens, Gary Clay Rains, Quinton Jones, Shiloh Terry and Clay Dannelly serving as pallbearers.  All of his family and many friends will be honorary pallbearers.  The family will receive guests at the funeral home on Monday evening from 5 to 7 PM.

Sterlin Ray Burney was born Aug. 27, 1981 in Muleshoe, TX to Betty Diane (McGee) and Wayland Ray Burney, and died Oct. 22, 2025 in Portales at the age of 44.  He grew up in Elida and graduated from Elida High School in 1999.  While he was in school, he played basketball and baseball, and also ran track.  He even competed in the Jesse Owen Track Meet in Arizona in the mid 1990’s.  Sterlin also liked to participate in ropings and other rodeo events.

Following high school, he worked as an electrician in Midland, TX and later for Meyer Electric in Clovis.  He had also worked on the wind generators.  More recently he had worked doing various types of construction.  He built pens and corrals and fencing, and even did some plumbing.

Sterlin enjoyed going hunting, both for game and for arrowheads.  He was a talented painter, and also used his artistic talents to produce metal art.  Sterlin was an outgoing and friendly man who loved to make people laugh.  He also loved his dogs.

He is survived by his mother and step-father, Betty and Sid Price of Elida and his father and step-mother, Wayland Ray and Sandra Burney of Lubbock, TX; a brother and sister-in-law Silver and Alyson Burney of Fort Worth, TX; a sister and brother-in-law, Mindy and Brad Oder of Corona, NM; three nephews, Sumner Burney, Baylee Oder and wife, Sydney and Hadlee Oder.  He was preceded in death by his grandparents, as well as various other family members.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Sterlin Ray Burney, please visit our floral store.