Mr. Roger Burns

Roger had an unending love for his wife, Judith “Judy” Ann (Bower) Burns. The two met in Morgantown, W.Va., where he was a student and basketball player at West Virginia University. When she moved to Washington D.C. for a job, he left school and followed her. They married in 1965 and settled in Beckley where they raised two children.

Roger made dear friends through 4-H and Memorial Baptist Church and his passions for basketball, old cars, and the outdoors. He took great pride in being part of Woodrow Wilson High School’s undefeated 1962 State Champion Basketball Team. He found and restored his father’s 1934 Pontiac. With his family and members of the Classy Chassis Car Club, Roger led Team West Virginia, which competed in the Great American Race in 1987, 1988 and 1989. Roger loved camping with Judy and traveling to Virginia to share a smoky fire and stories with his son and friends known as “The Stinky Fishermen.” He built a lasting family tradition of hunting, fishing and enjoying time with friends.

Roger is survived by his children Todd Burns (Carey Sullivan) and Courtney Cooper (James Cooper); three grandchildren: Mitchell and Gavin Burns, and Josephine Cooper. He was preceded in death by his wife, Judy, in 2016, and his parents Carl in 1998 and Leona in 2017.

Visitation will be held July 22 at noon, at Blue Ridge Funeral Home followed by a memorial service at 1 p.m.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.blueridgefuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to the Raleigh County 4-H All Stars or the Visiting Nursing Association of Manchester & Southern New Hampshire.

Blue Ridge Funeral Home, 5251 Robert C. Byrd Drive, Beckley, WV has the honor of serving the Burns Family.