The last of the original founding members of Life Line Foods, Shirley A. Burks, passed on Feb. 10. Gary and Shirley Burks founded Life Line Foods, LLC in 1969. Gary’s vision and ideas would not have come to fruition without the dedicated support and hard work of his wife Shirley.

Shirley managed the plant while raising their six children. Her love and work ethic made sure the children and employees were well taken care of. Shirley’s management style was to lead by example, doing whatever it took to make sure top quality natural products were produced by Life Line Foods/Buried Treasure.

Her legacy continues through her son, Lester G. Burks, who is currently the CEO and her grandson, Andrew Burks, as CFO, her grandson-in-law, Luis Alonso, as COO/IT director, and her daughter, Teresa Angel, as shipping department manager. The work ethic instilled into the leadership of Life Line Foods by her made it grow, and the company thrived,  becoming a leading liquid nutritional supplement company.

"We are thankful to God for allowing Shirley Burks’ love, support, and dedication to touch so many lives across the country through her leadership of Life Line Foods, LLC," said the family in a statement. "Shirley will be greatly missed, but her legacy continues through the hard work and dedication of the people of Life Line Foods/Buried Treasure."