Robert P. Burns, a native of Worcester and 51 year resident of Wellesley, passed away June 12 at home from colon cancer, surrounded by his family.
Mr. Burns lived a long a productive happy life. Born the youngest child of Irish immigrants, he grew up in Worcester during the depression and lost his father at an early age. He graduated from North High in 1938 and was the first in his family to attend college, graduating from Boston University in 1946. His studies were interrupted by World War II when he volunteered for the Marine Corps. As a First Lieutenant, he became a skilled fighter pilot and flight instructor and was training with his unit for the invasion of Japan when the war ended in September 1945.
For the next five decades, Mr. Burns worked for the Travelers Insurance Company in Boston where he rose to become New England Manager of the Bond Department. He founded the New England Surety Association and was its President from 1971-76. He wrote bonds for major construction projects throughout the region the New England Aquarium and Schaefer Stadium. After retiring from Travelers, he founded his own insurance agency in Wellesley.
Active in his children’s lives, he was a Cub Scout leader and long time member of St. James and then St. Paul Churches in Wellesley. As a Wellesley Town Meeting Member, he led the effort in the late 1960’s to convert the Overbrook Reservation to conservation land. He was a life long member of Red Sox Nation
His wife of 55 years, Esther (Toomey) Burns, passed away in 2003. He is survived by his children, Roberta Hutchins, an educator in Raleigh, NC, Stan Burns, a civil engineer in Salt Lake City, UT, Christopher Burns, a business man in Princeton Junction, NJ, Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs at the State Department in Washington, D.C., and Dr. Jeffrey Burns, Chief of the Division of Critical Care at Children’s Hospital in Boston and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, of South Natick. Mr. Burns has fifteen grandchildren, including his oldest, Captain Ben Hutchins who is currently serving as a Marine fighter pilot in Iraq.
His funeral will be held from the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St., (Rt.16) Wellesley, on Saturday at 8:30 AM. His funeral mass will be celebrated in St. Paul’s Church, Wellesley, at 9:30 AM. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend. Visiting hours will be Friday from 5-9 PM. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney St., Boston, MA 02125-02115 or the Muscular Dystrophy Assoc., 31 Milk St., Boston, MA 02109.