Robert G. C. Burns

Robert G.C. Burns, Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) January 2, 1926 - October 30, 2022 Robert Burns was a one-of-a-kind type of guy to all who knew him. He dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to support his mother and two sisters, Betty and Ruth – as his father had left them during the Great Depression when he was 6 years old. He worked in a bank as a runner and at a movie theater as an assistant manager, but when World War II began, he lied about his age and enlisted in the US Army at 17. He served in the European theater where he met his first wife Hulda from Estonia at the end of the war. She had been living in a concentration camp in Estonia for several years. Hulda and Bob were married just short of 60 years. Hulda and Bob had one son, Bob, Jr, who unfortunately passed away in 2009, and they never had grandchildren. The Army was an important part of his life. He served 29 years encompassing WWII, Korea, and Vietnam Wars. He earned the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit medals for his exceptional service. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, which is very rare having started as a “buck private,” and not completing high school. Bob had an amazing memory and could describe events while he served to the month and year, and sometimes even the day. He was truly a member of the Greatest Generation. After retiring, Bob was very active in the Elks Lodge. Being an Elk meant everything to Bob. He was active until the end of his life, holding various leadership positions including District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler, and California and Hawaii Elks Veterans Chairman. Community service was important to Bob. He volunteered annually at the AT&T Pebble Beach Open Golf tournament for many years although he was never a golfer himself. Bob was a regular speaker and emcee at local Veterans and Memorial Day events. He took over management of a non-profit started by Bob Jr, Catch the Spirit through the Elks Lodge, that provided Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and assistance to military veterans and families, including homeless veterans after his son, Bob Jr, passed away. His closest friends over the years were friends from the Elks Lodge, in particular Rick and Jane Swinford, who he regarded as family. In 2006, shortly after both of their spouses had passed away, Beverly Sanderson backed her car into Bob’s car at Travis Air Force base where they were both shopping, something they both loved to do. After exchanging names and insurance information at the scene of the accident, Bob asked Bev to lunch, and a year and a half later they were married. Bob and Bev spent many happy years together traveling, shopping, and spending time with family. Having no grandchildren or great-grandchildren of his own, Bob inherited 11 when he married Bev, and was a loving grandfather to all, never forgetting a birthday, and always happy to talk. Bev passed away in August of 2019 and Bob was a devoted husband until the end. During the final years of his life, Bob continued as he always had, traveling as much as he could despite the shutdowns of COVID, including a trip to Delta Junction, Alaska, his former duty station, with Rick and Jane where he contracted Covid 19 and subsequently recovered. Then a trip to Hawaii with Jane, where his only disappointment was that they would not let him paraglide at the age of 95. The defining thing about Bob was his always positive outlook and joy of being with people. Despite the circumstances he always found a way to look on the positive side and connect with the people around him – saying the food was great at the nursing home, knowing that it was his physician’s anniversary, or taking his caregivers gambling at Thunder Valley casino. And we cannot leave out that Bob was generous to a fault, always helping those in need be it a non-profit, neighbor, a caregiver, or friends. Bob passed peacefully at home on October 30 at the age of 96, with Rick and Jane holding his hands as he took his last breath.