Edith M. Burns

Edi was born in Fairbury, Illinois where she lived until her family moved to Iowa City, Iowa. When she was 12 years old Edi moved to Evanston, IL. She graduated from Evanston High School, where she first met and dated her future husband, Ken. Her college years led Edi to the University of Iowa, where she majored in speech pathology and was a member of Pi Beta Phi sorority. At the same time, Ken attended Northwestern University, where he received both his undergraduate and law school degrees. Married in 1949 following their graduations, Edi and Ken settled initially into Evanston and then for the next 16 years into Wilmette, where they raised their six children. Edi was an active volunteer and leader of a number of community organizations, ranging from The Junior League of Evanston-North Shore, The Evanston YWCA, the Logan ( now McKenzie) School PTA , the Evanston Hospital Women’s Auxiliary Board and Girl and Boy Scouts. She was deeply engaged in helping organize and manage the Junior League of Evanston- North Shore’s Thrift House, The Evanston Hospital Circus Fundraiser and the Hospital’s Vial for Life and Buckle Up Baby ( child car seats ) community campaigns. She was also active in supporting Ken’s leadership roles in the American Bar Association , which required them to travel extensively.

In 1972, Edi and Ken moved to Lancaster, Ohio where Ken assumed an executive officer role at the Anchor Hocking Corporation. Not one to miss an opportunity to volunteer her services, Edi quickly assumed a leadership position in the Lancaster Historical Society, focusing on restoring “ The Georgian “ a local history museum. It was in Lancaster that Edi developed an even stronger love for collecting art and antiques. Edi and Ken moved back to Winnetka in 1979, ultimately setting into Lake Bluff for over 30 years. For the past five years, Edi has resided in the Westminster Place in Evanston, where she cherished making new friends and spending time with old acquaintances. Despite weakening health in the past several months, she was greatly looking forward to her 95th birthday , which she celebrated this past December among family and friends.

Edi would clearly state that her most important —and valued—role was being a wife, mother and grandmother. With six children, 18 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren ( with two more scheduled to arrive in April) , she was a remarkable matriarch for the large Burns Family , playing cards with grandchildren, cheering them on in their activities, swapping stories with them and keeping track of their whereabouts. Edi had a passion for bridge, opera, classical music and gardening. For someone who largely ignored television for most of her life, she became an avid observer of virtually all televised sports in recent years—keeping close watch over professional golf tournaments, Iowa and Northwestern football and basketball games and Cubs and White Sox games.

Edi leaves behind warm memories for her six children—Debby (Jeff), KJ Burns (Kathy), Sarah (Larry), Libby (John), Nancy (Jose) and Andrew (Jill)—her grandchildren (and spouses) and great-grandchildren. In addition to her husband Ken, Edi is preceded in death by her parents Wayne & Esther Mitten, her brother and sister-in law Wayne & Fran Mitten, and her brother-in-law Dr. David Burns.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 5th, 2022 at 11 AM at First United Methodist Church, 516 Church St. Evanston, IL. Service will be livestreamed at https://www.asimplestreaming.com/emburns. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Junior League of Evanston-North Shore Thrift House, www.jle-ns.org/thrift-house or YWCA Evanston/North Shore, www.ywca-ens.org.