LIVERMORE, Ky. — Cora Isabell Burden, 98, of Livermore, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on Sunday, Aug. 10, 2025, in the peace of her own home, surrounded by love. Born Cora Isabell Bohanan on March 26, 1927, in the Great Smoky Mountains of Greenbrier, Tennessee, she was the daughter of the late Rev. Russell and Lottie Ogle Bohanan.
The mountains shaped her, rooting her in the steadfast faith, enduring strength, and quiet beauty of her people. Even after her family resettled in Boyd’s Creek, Sevierville, Tennessee, she carried the Smokies in her heart for the rest of her days.
Following World War II and a tender courtship carried on through handwritten letters, Cora married Army Sergeant Truman Richard Burden on January 21, 1946. Together, they made their home in McLean County, Kentucky, where Cora built a life defined by faith, devotion, and the warmth of a home always open to others.
Cora’s life was a tapestry of simple joys—her hands busy with quilting and painting, her garden brimming with flowers and vegetables, her pantry lined with jars of her own canning. She took deep delight in cooking for a table full of family, in the laughter that rose from shared meals, and in the celebrations of both everyday moments and life’s great milestones. She retired from General Electric in Madisonville, Kentucky, and faithfully served as a member of Livermore Missionary Baptist Church, where she taught Sunday School for many years. Her sweet spirit and unshakable optimism left everyone who knew her richer for the encounter.
Cora’s life was a hymn of faith and love, her days stitched together like the quilts she made—beautiful, enduring, and meant to bring warmth to those she cherished. Though she has left our sight, the fragrance of her flowers, the songs she loved, and the legacy of her kindness will forever bloom in the hearts of those she leaves behind.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Truman Burden, on May 7, 1966; her son, Tipton Russell Burden; grandsons, Travis Jordan Smith, Richard Thomas Glasscock, James Bryan Glasscock, and Cody Rayne Helm; and great-granddaughter, Emma Amelia Burden.
She is survived by her son, Truman Dean Burden (Melinda), of Hartford, Kentucky; six daughters, Brenda Sue Sims (Ken Wilkins), of Hartford, Linda Jean Lattin (Ricky McCormick), of Owensboro, Kentucky, Barbara Gail Helm (Bob), of Fordsville, Kentucky, Peggy Lee Lynn (Dale), of Hartford, Gay Cora Burden, of Hendersonville, Tennessee, and Joy Lora Burden, of Owensboro, Kentucky; 13 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren; a sister, Grace Whaley, of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; and two half-brothers, Milo Bohanan and W.C. Bohanan, both of Sevier County, Tennessee.
Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 14, at Muster Funeral Homes, Livermore Chapel, with burial to follow in Oak Hill Cemetery in Livermore. Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday and from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. Thursday at Musters in Livermore.
The family requests that expressions of sympathy be made in the form of donations to Oak Hill Cemetery, Perpetual Care Fund, C/O Independence Bank, P.O. Box 39, Livermore, Kentucky 42352.
Cora’s services will be streamed live on musterfuneralhomes.com at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Share your memories and photos of Cora at musterfuneralhomes.com.
