James C. Burns Jr., 86, of Largo, FL, passed away Thursday, November 12, 2009 at Morton Plant Hospital, Clearwater. He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather.
James moved here from his native Philadelphia, PA in 1968. James played football for the University of Miami and later the Philadelphia Eagles farm squad. He retired as a chemist for Gulf Oil Co., Lube Oil Blending Dept., after 28 years of service. He was a volunteer fireman and US Air Force veteran of WWII and Korea. He attended St. Jude Cathedral, St. Petersburg. He enjoyed working as a handyman and his hobbies included model trains and cars. He was an avid football fan of Penn State.
James is survived by his loving wife of 34 years, Gerda; a son, James C. III of Lafayette, GA; three daughters, Diane (Fred) Friedman of St. Petersburg, Linda (Pat Hyland) Burns of Jasper, AL, and Gloria Williams of Key West; two stepsons, John (Laurie) DeRussy of Canton, GA and Peter (Debbie) DeRussy of Dayton, OH; a stepdaughter, Heidi (Tom) Johnson of Bradenton; and fourteen grandchildren.
A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at 1:00 PM on Monday, Nov. 16th at St. Jude Cathedral, 5815 5th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL 33710. Interment will be at Bay Pines National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations are made to the American Heart Association.
The Lutz Patriots of Lutz, Florida send our deepest sympathies in the loss of Mr. Burns. Every Friday in our hometown, we wave American flags to honor such heroes. His service to our Country will be forever appreciated.
We send our deepest sympathies in the loss of Uncle Jimmy.(my grandmother’s brother). He will be missed.