William Jerome Burns

He was born to William (NY) & Nora Burns “nee” Walsh (Tipperary, Ireland) on March 6, 1937, and was raised in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated from St. Sylvester’s School and Bishop Loughlin High School in Brooklyn. He met his lifelong sweetheart and future wife Janet Ann Burns “nee” “Meyer at a party held by family friends in 1955. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1956, served proudly and never missed celebrating the Marine Corps Birthday each November 10.

In 1960, he and Janet were married and shortly thereafter settled in Woodside, NY where they both became active members of St. Sebastian’s Parish. They raised three children and managed busy work schedules but still found time to give back to the Community. Bill also found time to attend night classes and graduate from St. Francis College in Brooklyn (Class of 1969) while working full-time as a programmer during the early days of computing.

In 1970, he joined the Committee of St. Sebastian’s Boys Brigade to help-out for a “few months”. He spent the next 30+ years working in roles of increasing responsibility until finally becoming Chairman. He loved every minute of his time spent working with the Brigade, particularly during summers spent at Father Edward Lodge Curran Camp (Highland Lake, NY) where he took it upon himself to improve the culinary standards at the Camp. He was a positive influence on generations of “Woodside kids” and never walked a local street without being greeted by a former member of the Brigade.

In addition, he was an avid baseball fan starting with the Brooklyn Dodgers in his youth and later switching his allegiance to the Mets (sometimes to his chagrin). He also particularly relished annual family vacations to Lake George, NY which began in the 1970s, continued all his life and where he got to play his favorite role of beloved Grandpa.

He was predeceased by his parents and younger sister Noreen Amaty “nee” Burns, as well as his wife of nearly sixty years, Janet in March 2020.

He is survived by his three children, Bill (Cathy), Laurie (Joe) and Colleen (John), four grandchildren, Mary, Anne, Tara and Joseph, his nieces and nephews, Ed, Debbie, Kim, Kristen and Kathleen, Matt and Tom, brother and sister-in-law John & Eileen McNulty “nee” Meyer as well as friends and family too numerous to list (and his dog, Belle.)

He led a long full life and will be greatly missed.

The family will host a Wake at Kennedy-Roth Funeral Home in Woodside, N.Y. on Friday, Feb 3 from 3-8 PM. The Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, Feb 4 at St. Sebastian’s Church (Chapel) in Woodside, N.Y. at 9:45 AM. Interment will immediately follow at St. John’s Cemetery in Middle Village, N.Y.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Wounded Warriors Project and/or the USMC Museum in Quantico, Va.