Obituary – Edward Brantley Burns Sr.

Edward Brantley Burns, Sr. was born on June 22, 1931, to Bland Burns and Edith Martin Burns, in Washington, DC. As children of the Great Depression, he and his brother, Calvin, had a tumultuous childhood, living for 10 years in an orphanage because their parents could not afford to raise them. When their parents were back on their feet, Ed and his brother lived between their mother in Northern Virginia and their father in Decherd, Tennessee. From a young age Ed had an adventurous spirit and he often spoke of “train-hopping” to see the country, as his father was a railroad engineer during Ed’s youth. Ed attended Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA, and following graduation, he apprenticed at the Newport News Shipyard. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1950 and served eight years, including a 10-month deployment in the Korean War, flying in the Boeing B-52 StratoFortress, a long-range, subsonic, jet-powered strategic bomber. He was awarded the Korean Service Medal with two Bronze Stars, the National Defense Service Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal.

In September 1951, after dating a mere six weeks, Ed married Margaret “Peggy” Perrine in Cocoa Beach Florida. After his return from Korea, they moved to Waco, Texas where their first child, Brantley was born. In 1958 he left the Air Force and, always one to better himself, decided to continue his education and move his young family to Virginia.

He was accepted to the prestigious University of Virginia School of Engineering at a time when men wore coats and ties and women weren’t yet admitted. Noelle, the second of three children, was born in Charlottesville while Ed attended school. In 1962, Ed graduated near the top of his class and was recruited by Dupont and then moved to Aiken South Carolina to accept a job at the Savannah River Nuclear Site. Two years later, Dupont transferred him to Richmond, Virginia, where Becky, the last of his children, was born in 1964. While at DuPont, he developed and patented several products, which are still in use today. Upon retiring from Dupont in 1987, he traveled the world as an electrical engineering consultant.

During his 23 years in Richmond, Ed was a family man through and through.

He was an active member of St. Edward’s Catholic Church and sang in the church choir. He instilled the values of education and hard work in all of his children by modeling it for them. Ed worked hard to put all three of his children through St. Edward’s Elementary School, Benedictine and St. Gertrude High Schools and then the University of Virginia. As an alumnus of U.Va., seeing all three of his children graduate from his alma mater was a source of great pride for him. Ed was a life-long learner and continued his education later in life by obtaining a M.B.A. from the University of Richmond in 1972 and a master’s in psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1987.

Ed had exceptional athletic ability as well as academic ability. Whenever he put his mind to something, he excelled at it. As a very young adult, he honed his skills as a baseball catcher, “the best position to play,” according to Ed. Later he immersed himself in running and became an accomplished marathoner, completing the Boston Marathon eight times with a personal best time of three hours and eight minutes. In his 60’s he transitioned to race-walking and won several southeastern region events.

In 1998 Ed married the love of his life, Barbara, in the chapel at the University of Virginia with his children and grandchildren present. Ed and Barbara lived in Birmingham, Alabama for 25 years. While there, he dedicated himself to the youth of the community as a drug addiction counselor and high school tutor. In January 2023 he was moved back to Richmond to be near his children.

Ed was a very hardworking, intelligent, and stubbornly driven man, but balanced his intensity with a wonderful sense of humor. One particularly quirky anecdote always brought a smile to everyone who knew him—He loved gin martinis and was so particular about their preparation that he carried a laminated card in his wallet with specific instructions for the bartender!

He died peacefully on June 24, 2024, at the age of 93 with his family by his side. He was pre-deceased by his mother, father, stepsister Ruth, brother Calvin, and wives Peggy and Barbara. His survivors include Brantley (Amy), Noelle (Stan), Becky (Todd), 11 of his 12 grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren, all of whom remember him with great love and affection.

The family would like to thank the staff of Spring Arbor of Richmond for their care for him with a special thanks to some of his favorites Maritza, Aidya, Trania, Susan, Delonnie, and Julius. We would also like to thank Suncrest Hospice for their thorough and compassionate care of him during his last six weeks with a special thanks to Donna, Deidre, and Kenny.

We will miss you, Dad. You are finally free and at peace.

A memorial mass will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 9505 Gayton Rd, Richmond, VA on August 16, 2024, at 11:00 am. A reception in the church commons will follow the mass.