Ionia County MI Archives Obituaries.....Burns, Arthur M. 2007 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Sandy Heintzelman sheintz@iserv.net August 30, 2014, 1:47 pm Greenville Daily News, 7 Apr 2007 Arthur M. “Art” Burns, 79, of Traverse City, formerly of Belding passed away Thursday morning April 5, 2007, at Munson Medical Center in Traverse City. Art was born on April 25, 1927, in a farmhouse located where the Double R Ranch is today, south of Smyrna, the son of Ervin and Pearl Olger Burns. He proudly served his country during World War II in the United States Army from Dec. 13, 1945, to June 13, 1947. He was stationed in Germany during the occupation. It was during this time he met his future wife, his beloved Hedwig. After 11 months of hard work to secure her coming to America, they were married on March 20, 1948, in Belding. He retired from the former Gibson’s Corp. after 40 years of working in the service department, but went on to drive trucks for Ryder until just a few years ago. He enjoyed taking Hedwig with him on several of his road trips across the country. Granddaughter Kimberly was also excited to have her beloved grandpa pick her up in an enormous truck and whisk her off to the gas station for RC Colas and his favorite Nutbars. Art was often working several jobs at one time so that Hedwig could remain at home and raise their family. When the trucking road trips ended he got his son-in-law, Fred, to drive the two of them to exotic places like Sault Ste. Marie and Gaylord for hamburgers. He loved being Kimberly’s grandpa. He also enjoyed working long hours in his yard, playing the keyboard, cheering for MSU, singing hymns, reading, talking politics and current events and doing puzzles. In fact, he was honored as The Puzzle Master at the Highlander assisted living village where he lived. He quickly became greatly loved by his neighbors there, and regularly coached all of them to make the very most out of the lives that they were living. Art loved to make people laugh, put them at ease and offer encouragement, even when he was in the hospital. The nurses were always happy to be working with their friend Mr. Burns and enjoyed caring for him right up until the end, although they didn’t always allow him to order his favorite meal – hamburgers. Nobody received more of Art’s encouragement than his daughter Kathy, who considered him her best friend. He was a life member of the Sheridan Veteran’s of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5065 and a member of the Belding VFW Post 203. Art was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend and will be greatly missed by everyone that he touched. Art is preceded in death by his wife, Hedwig, on June 24, 2006; his parents; twin brother Arnold; brothers, Harold and Jack; and a sister and brother-in-law, Ethelyn and Victor Larson. Art is survived by his children, Kathy and Fred Doelker of Traverse City, Dr. Gilbert and Marilyn Burns of Moscow, Idaho; one granddaughter Kimberly Burns of Traverse City; his sisters and their spouses, Betty and Romaine McDonald of Grand Rapids, Helen and Darwin House of Greenville, Marjorie and Francis Alysworth of Greenville; sister-in-law Dorothy Burns of Greenville; as well as nine nieces and eight nephews. Funeral services are 2:00 p.m. Monday at Johnson-Feuerstein Funeral Home, Belding with Pastor Ken Harger of Shiloh Community Church officiating. Interment will follow in Rest Haven Memory Gardens. A luncheon will take place at Shiloh Church following the committal service. Visitation is one hour before the service. Memorial contributions may be given to First Congregational Church of Traverse City or the Munson Emergency Room Campaign. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/ionia/obits/b/burns28123nob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/mifiles/ File size: 4.0 Kb