Rosemary E. Burns

Rosemary “Dolly” Burns, 103, beloved wife of the late Robert J Burns, mother of Ellen Burns of Charlottesville, VA and Brian (Marie) Burns of McLean, VA; grandmother of Daniel and Nicole Burns, aunt, great-aunt, great-great-aunt, and dear friend, died April 16, 2021. Rosemary was born in Manitowoc, WI, daughter of the late Edward & Ellen Crowe, sister of the late Harold (Laura) Crowe, William (Dolores) Crowe & Ellen (Lou) Fandrick, all of Wisconsin. She loved school, especially math, being a Girl Guide, and hanging out with her siblings on the shores of Lake Michigan. She attended Milwaukee State Teachers College, and taught primary school, before joining the USO during World War II, and then earned her Masters Degree in Social Work from Catholic University. In the early 1960s, she and her husband, Bob, were instrumental in forming the first Montessori school in the Washington, DC area, then named St. Aidan’s Montessori (now Aidan Montessori). In the late 1960s, she returned to school to study Library Science, and became the school librarian for St. James Catholic School in Falls Church, VA, from where she retired. In honor of her retirement, the library at the school was named the Rosemary Burns Memorial Library. One of her lifelong passions was being involved with the Dominican Third Order, and she served as prior of her chapter, as did her husband before his death. Rosemary also maintained ties to St. John the Beloved Catholic Church in McLean, VA, where, for over 50 years, she had been a school volunteer, a thrift shop volunteer and served on the Altar Committee. In her later years, she was a devoted member of the Missionhurst community in Arlington, VA, attending daily mass and cherishing the wonderful community of priests and those who attended. Never one to give up the chance to enjoy the outdoors, she pursued gardening as a passion, and golf as a diversion, and far-flung travel adventures kept her interested and young at heart. Bridge with her friends was partly for the game, but mostly for the friends; and having the family over for dinner made her the happiest. In her last decade of life, she was lovingly and devotedly cared for by Agnes Nazareth and her family, and Yolanda Garcia. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association / act.alz.org or to Missionhurst CICM / missionhurst.org. A memorial Mass in honor of Rosemary’s life will be held at a future date at Missionhurst in Arlington, VA in light of the current health pandemic. A visitation will be held on Thursday, April 22nd at Murphy Funeral Home in Falls Church, VA from 6 to 8 PM. A Graveside service will be held on Friday, April 23rd at Fairfax Memorial Park at 10 AM. Both services can be attended via livestream by clicking the "Join Livestream" on their respective services below during the times listed.