Lawrence Frederick Burns

Lawrence Frederick Burns was born March 21, 1929, to Cyril and Ina Burns – parents that he adored, honoured, and cared for until Cyril’s passing at 102, in 2005. Lawrence was born in St Joseph’s hospital and died in the Comox Valley Hospital November 22, 2025 at the age of 96. He was faithful and devoted to his family and birthplace all his days. There aren’t words to describe how much Lawrence loved the Comox Valley, specifically Courtenay. It is a place that he cherished, served, and was so proud to be a citizen of for his entire life.

Lawrence’s dedication to serve began when he was an Air Raid Precautions volunteer, running through Courtenay monitoring blackout requirements and warning people if light from their homes were shining during the drills. In his teens he trained as a First Aid attendant through Comox Valley Logging – the youngest person to do this. He enthusiastically volunteered to leading singing in church; and joined the Gideons organization as soon as he was eligible, with his father, Cyril Burns. Lawrence worked in partnership with his father at the Courtenay Garage, and after selling the family business, worked in the parts department for Courtenay Chrysler. But it was only a matter of time before realizing his real passion as a career fire fighter took hold.

He began to volunteer as a fireman and ambulance attendant on the first day he was old enough. His service to civic life continued as the fire department grew, including the role of Deputy Fire Chief under Lorne Cleland, and full-time paid Fire Chief from 1969 until his retirement in 1995. In the early years he also ran the volunteer ambulance service until it was moved to the provincial authority, posing a heart-wrenching challenge for Lawrence to give up going on ambulance calls. His tenure as “Chief” was marked by deep commitment and courage, investment in the lives of the fire fighters on his department, and loyalty to the community they served. He remained connected to the fire service even after retirement at age 67 — continuing to serve as the department’s Chaplain until just last year.

Chief Burns loved to regale audiences with endless stories from his career as a fire fighter, including the recounting the drama of the Courtenay Hotel fire, a truck tanker fire on a fuel farm, Dyck Road trailer explosion, and the Westerly Hotel fire. Fighting one of the most – if not most – historic fires in the Comox Valley, the Riverside Hotel fire (January 2, 1968) was an accomplishment he was very proud of; specifically, how the crews saved the adjacent theatre building.

Lawrence was well known as a local historian. He loved the history of the Comox Valley, and worked to preserve the accurate and true memory of its growth over his life, the past century. In his retirement he worked with the local museum and served on the Courtenay Heritage Committee with his dear friends. While he is known for his memory for details including who lived in what house and for how long, what Lawrence wanted to be remembered for his passion and proclivity to mystery-solving and investigating (fires and history) and problem-solving; for telling stories (entertaining people, teaching a moral, or preaching), and conciliating (his word).

Lawrence is predeceased by his wife Margaret (1930 -2011) and his youngest sister Margaret Boardman (1937-2018). He is survived by his sister Janet (Steele), daughters Darlaine (Jantzen) and Heather (Burns), his wife Donna Burns (m. 2016), four grandchildren, and, his six great-grandchildren.

His family remembers him as a lively storyteller with an impeccably timed sense of humor and wit; a dedicated servant in his church, community, and city; and a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He loved to be with people – especially when it involved having a coffee (at Mr Mikes, Tim Hortons or the A&W) and held the relationships he had with those from all corners of the community dearly close to his heart. Countless people knew “Mr. Burns” and he treasured each encounter he had.

His memory, legacy and impact on the Comox Valley will live on in the hearts and lives of all who knew him.

Lawrence invested and supported so many youth organizations across the Comox Valley whether through fire safety & school tours of the fire hall, teaching first aid to Girl Guides & Scouts, distributing Gideon New Testaments to Grade 5 students, or investing in the training of emerging paramedics and fire fighters through his career and well into retirement. We are honoured to have the Lawrence Burns Memorial Bursary fund established to continue supporting the next generations in training and career development. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the The Lawrence Burns Memorial Bursary at the Comox Valley Community Foundation.

A public Celebration of Life for Lawrence Burns will be held on January 10, 2026, 2:30 at Northgate Community Church (1640 Burgess Road). All are welcome.