Edward Robert Burns, 88

Edward Robert Burns, age 88, died of natural causes on January 29, 2021, in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Edward is survived by his spouse, Eileen Delores Burns of Lake Havasu City, Arizona; his son ,Thomas Burns, of  Aitkin, Minnesota: daughter,Shivaun Burns Allan, of New Prague, Minnesota; grandchildren Megan (Justin) Anderson, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Katy (Tristan) Michaud of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Sean (Christina) Koehn of Belle Plaine, Minnesota; Kevin Burns (Cassie Flanagan) of Deerwood, Minnesota; great-grandchildren Max Anderson, Quinn Michaud, David, Edward and Josephine Koehn; brothers-in-law Donald and Kenneth Wolff; sister-in-law Harriet Wolff; and Burns and Wolff nephews and nieces.  Edward is preceded in death by his parents Timothy and Alice Burns; sisters Madelyne Wolff, Mildred Graham, Alice Hoehn, Mary Grace O’Brien and Kathleen Fogarty; brothers Jack Burns and Timothy Burns Jr.; four brothers-in law and three sisters-in law.

Edward was born on October 18, 1932 to parents Timothy and Alice (Halloran) Burns in Tyrone Township, Le Sueur County, rural St. Thomas, Minnesota, the youngest of five sisters and two brothers. He graduated from Le Sueur High School in 1951.   As a proud Korean War Veteran, Edward served his country as a member of the United States Army, stationed in Germany where he acquired his gifted welding skills.

Edward married Eileen Wolff, his “Valentine Sweetheart” on February 14, 1957 in Madison Lake, Minnesota.  The couple had two children together and celebrated an amazing sixty-three-year marriage together in their homes in New Prague, Minnesota and Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Edward was a great family man and a devoted, loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grand father.   Edward was a farmer his entire life; working dual trade occupations as a farmer and ironworker until his retirement.

A deeply devout Catholic, he became professed as a Franciscan at St. Scholastic Catholic Church at the Heidelberg location of the Church of St. Wenceslaus, New Prague, Minnesota. He and Eileen were serving Franciscans of Havasu in the St. Joan of Arc Fraternity of Secular Order, Our Lady of the Lake Roman Catholic Community, Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

 He enjoyed working with his hands and could jerry rig just about anything. He loved farming, animals, playing competitive card games of Euchre, 500, and Skipbo, fishing, hunting, driving (over a “million” miles in his lifetime) and traveling all over the world with Eileen. He will be remembered as “quite the one-of a kind character” with nicknames of Shady, Burns, Buckshot and G.

A Celebration of Life to be held at a future date.