Charles Burns

Charles “Chuck” Burns was a kind, caring, and loving husband, father, and grandfather. On September 14, 2024, Chuck, 87, went to Heaven to join his wife Cathy, who passed away a month before. Chuck was born on September 13, 1937, in Leland, Illinois, to Harold and Gladys (Rasmusson) Burns. He had a happy childhood with four brothers and one sister. He told stories of riding his bike fast and doing stunts.  

Chuck joined the Air Force in 1955 at age 17 and served honorably as a Systems Analyst until 1963. He was stationed in Germany, at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas, and at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. In Alabama, he met his first wife, and his first child was born, Randy. Later, he moved to Illinois, married, and his girls were born, Cori and Kim. 

Chuck had a long career as a Systems Analyst, working for hospitals and IT companies primarily, including IBM for many years. He moved to Texas through his work and married Catherine Tomlin in 1993. Chuck and Cathy had a good life and lived in many locations, including Houston, Sugarland, and Lewisville, Texas; Rochester, New York; England; Hot Springs Village, Arkansas; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 

In his younger years, Chuck loved to play computer games, especially Free Cell, and probably broke the world record for most games won (unverified!) Chuck never met a stranger and loved to talk to people, tell stories, and crack corny jokes. He loved to work puzzles and “count cars” in his later years, when he fought a very courageous battle against Alzheimer’s. Generally, Chuck was healthy as a horse for almost all his life, telling us “I’ve never been sick in my life,” and always had an upbeat attitude. When asked “How are you?” he would most often reply “better than wonderful!” Chuck and Cathy most recently resided at St. Anne’s Skilled Nursing Center in Oklahoma City, where Chuck brought a smile to many of his caregivers daily. He departed this life shortly after his wife, with each of them watching over the other until they could no longer. 

Chuck is preceded in death by his parents Harry and Gladys, brothers Howie, Ken, and Don, and one sister, Juanita. He is survived by his daughters Cori (John) McClellan and Kim (Ken) Long, both of Iowa, Randy (Trish) Burns of Alabama, Cathy’s children Mark (Bobbi) Tomlin and Mike Tomlin, both of Oklahoma, Matt Tomlin of Georgia, his brother Russ (Lola) of Illinois, and many grandchildren. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Chuck’s memory directly to the Alzheimer’s Association.