Thomas "Tom" Jackson Burne

Thomas "Tom" Jackson Burne, affectionately known as "Tom Terrific," age 84, of Tyngsborough, MA, passed away at Lowell General Hospital on May 17th, 2026. He was the beloved husband of Mary (Rocha) Burne.

 

Born in Lowell, MA, Tom was the son of the late J. Clarence and Bessie (Jackson) Burne. He was raised in Westford and graduated from Westford Academy, Class of 1960.

 

Tom retired from the United States Postal Service in 2007. He raised his family in Tyngsborough, where he was a longtime resident, and later spent winters in Myrtle Beach with Mary.

 

He was a member of the Ford V8 Club and a past member of the Chelmsford Elks. He was the proud winner of the 1970-something Best Beard in Littleton contest and a founding member of the Clean Plate Club.

 

Before convincing Mary to marry him, Tom worked as a car mechanic, ran a gas station, and spent his free time carousing around Westford and greater Lowell with his best friends — doing numerous things his mother and eventual wife would have found completely unacceptable — earning himself the lifelong nickname of "The Beast."

 

When raising his boys, Tom was known for his piano playing ("The Entertainer" on an endless loop on the family piano - inherited and was a wedding gift from Clarence to Bessie), building barns, tractor rides, yodeling, camping trips, and weekends in the basement woodshop. Family life meant Friday pizza nights, Sunday pancake mornings, bacon and egg sandwiches, and countless hours teaching car repairs. He also delivered plenty of life lessons — particularly around the work that needed doing in the yard. This included full Saturdays and Sundays devoted to building his sons' fortitude and work ethic: building fences, mowing lawns, gardening, cutting down trees, stacking wood, moving wood from one side of the yard to the other, moving dirt piles from one side of the yard to the other, and — when nothing big was planned — the time-honored tradition of picking up sticks.

 

In retirement, Tom enjoyed tinkering on his old Fords and driving his grandkids around in them whenever they visited. Every single grandchild sat on his lap and heard "A, you're adorable" from Grampie, while Tom maintained his decades-long streak of successfully finding something else to do when diaper changes were needed. He enjoyed collecting all manner of found treasures that would either be "worth something someday" or were "worth something to someone." Most of all, he loved spending time with family and friends gathered around a counter, table, patio, or backyard — something cold and refreshing to drink and some good food nearby.

 

Besides his wife Mary, Tom is survived by his three sons and their spouses: Nathaniel and Julie Burne of Watertown, CT; Christian Burne and Jennifer Genest of Los Alamitos, CA; and Andrew Burne and Kathryn Clarkson-Burne of Evergreen, CO. He is also survived by his sister, Patricia Webber of Littleton, MA, his brothers and their spouses, Frederick and Karen Burne of Pennsylvania and James and Sandra Burne of Kennebunkport, ME; his sister-in-law, Gail Burne of Littleton, MA; his eight grandchildren, Madelyn Hoffman, Avery Burne, Owen Burne, Lily Burne, Clara Burne, Holland Burne, Anna Burne, and Benjamin Burne; and his two great-grandchildren, Lincoln Hoffman and Levi Hoffman.

 

He was predeceased by his brother Stephen Burne; his brother John Burne and John's wife Helen Burne; his sister Shirley E. MacDougall and her husband Stephen MacDougall; and his brother-in-law Phillip Webber.

 

If you knew Tom, you knew an honest man, a quick smile, a ready laugh, and the familiar "Yhello!" when he picked up the phone. A sunny disposition was never far away. He was known for his kindness, his warmth, his welcoming nature, and his habit of "trying to be funny" — and sometimes succeeding. He never made an enemy. He always wanted to do "whatever was best," was always ready to help, always tried to do the right thing, and made sure to pass all of that on to his kids. He sang songs he loved until the very end of his life.

 

The bottom line is this: Tom won at life in every respect that matters. He was fortunate, he felt fortunate, and he never missed an opportunity to tell the people he loved exactly how he felt about them. He will be dearly missed by all those he left behind, and his indelible imprint on the lives of those he loved will be remembered and carried on forever.

 

-------------------------------------------------------

Thank you for taking the time to read this. A day of remembrance for Tom will be scheduled in the near future.

 

In the meantime, please share a note, a memory, or some photos through the platform below — they are invaluable in helping us remember everything we can about our dad, and will be shared at gatherings with family and friends as "Stories about Tom / Dad / Grampie."

 

We'll keep adding photos to the Mementos page above and organizing/grouping them as we can.  Click the "Follow this Memorial" link to receive emails when we make updates here.