Don Wayne Burris Sr.

Don Wayne Burris, Sr. was born on February 23, 1933 in Dallas, Texas to W.T. Burris and Othell Redd. He was the middle son of five children who grew up in South Dallas during the depression era. Although Don grew up poor, he had a happy childhood. This made him a strong man, husband, father and later, a grandfather – he was ‘rich’ with life! As a child he learned to play the violin, and enjoyed playing baseball. As a young man, he was always tinkering with cars, loved to box and used to break horses and dreamed of becoming a jockey and boxer, in between working at the family grocery store. His dreams of being a jockey and boxer were cut short by his strong willed mother who would gladly put a knot on his head with her heavy wooden kitchen spoon if he didn’t do as requested! Don had lots of great childhood memories that he shared with everyone. He was a great story teller with his deep voice and full bravado. Don graduated from Forest Avenue High School, Class of ’51. He attended quite a few of the class reunions and kept in touch with some of his old classmates. He met his late wife Yvonne Rodgers when they were early adolescents and began dating her in high school. They were married soon after and over the years became the proud parents of “Een” and “Bubba”. He was married to “Even”, as he called her, for 42 years before they decided to divorce. They remained friends who still cared about one another and spent holidays together until she passed in December of 2013. When the kids were young, one of his favorite places to take the family was out on Lake Texoma to go water skiing, fishing and camping. He even named the boat after his daughter, “KDB”. Don was also a concessionaire. He had concession stands at the Mesquite Rodeo, the Dallas Sportatorium and worked for his brother in law at the Devil’s Bowl Speedway. He owned several grocery stores over his lifetime and also worked as a bread man. He also worked 20 plus years as a broker for W.L. Gordon Co. before becoming a business partner in Bags Elite, Inc.. He worked hard to make sure that he took care of his family. When his grandson, Zachary, was born, this child became the light of his life. “Pawpaw”, as Zach calls him, was his favorite person to be around. They enjoyed going to the shooting range together or having a beer and burger. He was also a favorite uncle for a lot of his nieces and nephews. Don was an upbeat, friendly guy, and all around gentleman – a true Texas Cowboy. He never met a stranger, and it seemed like he knew everyone in town. No matter where he’d be, he always saw someone he knew. He was kind, and generous and he would give you his last nickel and the shirt of his back. He truly enjoyed his retirement and never was one to let grass grow under his feet. He’d be “catting around” at the horse races or driving out to Tyler or to Terrell. He loved to get in the kitchen and spend a day cooking up an old family recipe and then sharing it with 20 or so people. When he cooked, he cooked big! He loved listening to live music, and was a regular at the Sunday Jam. One of his favorite places to go listen to the banjo and fiddle, was the Bluegrass Festival, “Pickin’ in the Pines”. He also enjoyed a stein of beer or two at the Scarborough Fair. His drink of choice was a Miller Lite, although, he’d occasional put out a pinky finger with a glass of “Mer-LOT”. He enjoyed watching Old Westerns starring any of the old cowboys, but especially John Wayne. Whenever “Shane” was on T.V., he’d be sure to watch and call his kids and ex wife to let them know it was on. He loved Country Western Music such as the likes of Don Williams, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings. He was a big fan of Al Jolson and Redd Foxx as well. If there was cleaning to be done at the house, or while driving on a family vacation there was always a sing-a-long to one of his favorites. Even though he was only 5’5” tall, he was a man of great stature, “Big Don” as a lot of folks called him. He was larger than life, and the stories he told over the years reflected that. He was rarely seen without a cowboy hat on his head, as that was his signature look. He utilized his Constitutional Right to Bear Arms, as he never left the house without a gun. He had a temper that he battled with his whole life, but that didn’t change his kind heart. He was a member of the Fraternal Order of the Eagle for over 20 years, and held many positions within the fraternity and supported many charities, with his favorite being the Jimmy Durante Children’s Fund. Don was raised to be a very superstitious man; he’d tell his kids “to make sure you go out the same door you came in”, or “no hats on the bed”. If he gave you a knife as a gift, he would expect a coin in return so as to “not cut your luck”. There are a lot of “Don-isms” that will carry on; “If you’re gonna be a bear, be a grizzly bear” or, “By God you better not have started it, but you by God better finish it!”. When it came to projects, well...there was the right way to do it, then there was the ‘Burris Way’. Those ‘Burris Ways’ ended up being some of his best stories. Don was a God fearing man, a man of faith. He had made his peace and knew where he was going when the time came. On Monday, July 21, 2014, Don Wayne Burris, Sr. was called Home to meet his Creator. He was “met at the big bar in the sky” by his parents, W.T. & Othell Burris; his brothers: Jimmy Gene Burris & Bobby Burris & Aubrey Lee Kirby. He might get to see Yvonne, but you never know! His life, laughter and legacy will continue to be remembered and celebrated by his children: Kathy Doneen Shaw and her husband Jim of Mesquite, and Don Wayne Burris II and his partner Chris McBride of Dallas; his beloved grandson, Zachary Shaw; his sisters: Geneva Kirby of Mesquite and Clover Bush and her husband David of Dallas; and many more nieces, nephews, relatives and good friends. May his memory be eternal. A Memorial Service is to be held on Sunday, August 3, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. for Don Burris at the Fraternal Order of the Eagle located at 8500 Arturo Drive Dallas, TX 75228. So dust off your boots, bring your hats and your stories of Don and join the family in celebrating his life and his legacy, as that’s just how the hell he would want it. In Lieu of Flowers, the family requests that donations be contributed to the Jimmy Durante Children’s Fund care of The Fraternal Order of The Eagle to help to continue their charity work (214) 327-9563.