JAMAICA PLAIN, MA – James Arnold Burton, PhD, 79, died on February 20, 2020 at the German Center in West Roxbury, MA.

Born on June 6, 1940, he was the son of the late Arnold and Psyche (Pulliam) Burton. Jim, a retired Synthetic Peptide Chemist and Drug Designer, was an Associate Professor at Harvard University School of Medicine.

Jim was a parishioner of the Boston Basilica. He was a member of the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Chemical Society, American Peptide Society, Paul Dudley White Society, and was a former member of the Cardiac Unit at Mass General Hospital. Jim also enjoyed reading and writing scientific journals and liked to write science fiction stories.

On June 13, 1970 in East Haven, CT, he married Marjorie E. Wilson who survives at home. He is also survived by his son, James D. Burton and his wife Julie Bruno Burton of Hopewell Junction; his grandsons, Deskin and Chayton Burton of Hopewell Junction; his sister, Bama Falkner and her husband Joseph of Austin, TX; his sisters-in-law, Louise Burton of Delaware and Aura Wilson of Connecticut; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Jim was also predeceased by his brother, Jonathan Burton; his brother-in-law, Francis Wilson; and his grandson, Jake Burton.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday, February 28th at 10 am at St. Kateri Church, 1925 Route 82, LaGrangeville, NY followed by inurnment at St. Denis Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Jim to support Dr. Reardon's Research Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284. Please write checks to Dana-Farber and include Dr. Reardon in the memo section. To give online, please visit www.dfci.org/give. Please visit Jim's Book of Memories at www.mchoulfuneralhome.com.