Robert A. Burrows

Robert A. (Ol Red) Burrows, Sr., 71, of East Hartford. The Foreman has hung up his paint brush for good and has moved on to a better place; a world where he can walk and run again without pain, he can swing a baseball bat, have a catch with his kids and visit the ocean once more. Ol' Red as many knew him passed away at Hartford Hospital on Thursday, (July 31, 2008). His transition from this world to the next was peaceful and he was truly surrounded by love as every member of his family held on to his hand. Bob was born in Hartford on June 11, 1937, a son of the late Richard D. and Margaret (Murphy) Burrows, he spoke proudly of his time in the north end, often joking that he would take care of any tough situation 'Nelton Court style'. It was this tough and determined attitude that helped him through a variety of illnesses for the last 13 years. Bob was a painting contractor much of his life and worked up until the last few years as the painting coordinator at Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor. He was a wizard of wood and could create so many wonderful things out of a piece of pine. Whether it was hand carved ducks and birds, intricate ship modeling, or furniture making, everyone he knew could count on a Bob original adorning their home. Bob was a huge sports fan and especially followed Indy Car Racing, football and his favorite, baseball. He was a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan and was so thrilled that they won the Championship two times in his lifetime; he never thought it would happen once. But his true love was family and he was a great father to his two sons, and grandpa to his five grandchildren. He never was too tired to throw the ball around or to go fishing even if he secretly never liked to. They could always count on him bestowing some words of wisdom that may not have meant much at the time, but sooner or later you always knew what he meant and in most cases he was right. As he fought through illness, he taught everyone who knew him to never give up, go down kicking and that's what he did. He takes with him tremendous stories of the past, including his attendance at the tragic Hartford Circus fire in 1944, his Navy days on the USS Eaton DDE 510 chasing down Russian submarines right after the Korean War, and his unbelievable knowledge of US History, especially of World War II. Bob is survived by his two caring sons, Ted William Burrows and his wife, Carmen, of East Hartford, Robert Allen Burrows, Jr. of Willington; five adored grandchildren, Anthony Joseph, Maritza Leigh, Alexa Jacqueline, Blake Alexander, and Chase Logan-Allen Burrows; his former wife, Barbara (Magaldi) Burrows of Florence, MA; a daughter-in-law, Kerry (Nadeau) Burrows of Coventry; five nieces and nephews, Tony, Dawn, Eva, Crystal, and Candace. Along with his parents, Bob was predeceased by a brother, Richard D. Burrows, Jr. of East Hartford. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to join Bob's family to celebrate his life on Tuesday, August 5th from 4-7 p.m. at the D'ESOPO-East Hartford Memorial Chapel, 30 Carter Street, East Hartford. Private funeral services and burial will be held at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Robert's memory may be made to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, ATTN: Contribution Services, 10 Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445-7226. For on-line expressions of sympathy to the family please visit www.desopo.com.