Anita "Mamere" Lillian Burns

It is with heavy hearts and overwhelming love that we announce the passing of our beloved Anita Lillian Burns, “Mamere,” who peacefully left us at the remarkable age of 100 on March 5, 2026, in Germantown, TN. Born on a stormy winter night in Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada, on January 14, 1926, Anita’s arrival was nothing short of miraculous. As the winds blew and the snow piled high, the physician tasked with delivering her was uncertain if he could cross the Georgian Bay. Against the odds, he arrived just in time to welcome this tiny, determined soul into the world—never imagining she would go on to live a full century, captivating those she met along the way.

Anita was one of twelve children in the lively Robillard family. Known as "Tita" to her siblings, she was always a force to be reckoned with. Anita practiced hairdressing from a young age and used her skills to take her life beyond her small town. At the age of 23, she was invited by a cousin to leave Canada and make her way to Bermuda to work as a hairdresser.

Arriving in paradise, Anita worked at the Elbow Beach Surf Club, where the sun and sea were almost as striking as the man she was destined to meet. Soon after her arrival, Anita met the love of her life, Jerry, and three months into their courtship, she agreed to marry him. On December 29, 1949, Anita and Jerry tied the knot, beginning a partnership filled with love and adventures that would last for six decades.

As her family grew, so did the list of cities they moved to while Jerry was in service for the United States Navy. Just like she could make a full dinner for 8 on a Coleman stove, she could make a home out of any four walls she stood in. Her strong will helped her raise six children, often independently when Jerry was at sea, and she did so generously and selflessly. Anita was as joyful as she was practical. She could fit 6 kids in the station wagon for a camping trip; she danced in her own beautifully sewn square-dancing dresses; there wasn’t a refrigerator she couldn’t clean or a plastic baggie that couldn’t be reused; we wrapped our babies in her handknit blankets and her handmade Dammit dolls helped us all relieve a little stress. She was a caretaker whose strength and faith guided her to serve others. Mamere invited you to her table: to eat some of her famous Rick’s chicken, meatloaf, banana bread or molasses sugar cookies; to play a game of cards or Rummikub; to sit quietly as she knit and sewed our favorite dresses, dolls, and blankets. Mamere thoughtfully wove her family together with her many talents and she treasured those she loved.

Anita was preceded in death by her loving husband of 60 years, Gerald “Jerry” Burns; her son, Rob Burns; and son-in-law, Eddy Neff. She was the matriarch of a large and loving family and is survived by her daughters Judy Clement and her children, Lauren Howell (Lee) and Leslie Malone (Dan); Rosemary Neff and her children, Josh Neff (Dana), Julia Story (John), and Jessica Neff; Diane Bentson (Dennis) and her child, Kimberly Burns; and Ellen McCloskey (John) and her children, John McCloskey (Samantha) and Haley McCloskey; her son, Rick Burns (Barbara B.) and her children, Jack Bradley and Matthew Bradley; her daughter-in-law, Debby Burns and her children, Krissy DeJager (Dan) and Seth Barter (Mint); her great-grandchildren Ellison, Samantha, Lillian, Elizabeth, Hunter, Henry, Elly, and Edward; her sisters Pauline Pinder and Jackie Henderson; her sister-in-law, Lottie Robillard; her brother-in-law, Chris Burns (Suzie); and a host of nieces, nephews, and extended family who loved her beyond words.

Anita’s family, near and far, was her greatest joy, and her heart and her hands were open wide enough to hold us all. Her legacy is not just seen in the tangible things—like the quilts or the homemade meals— but felt in the way she made room for everyone and gave love unconditionally. In lieu of arrangements, the family was blessed to spend time and share memories with her before her passing. As we wished her our final, “Night, ‘Mere,” we know she has embraced her beloveds in heaven with her signature, “Oh, hi.”