ORONO and BREWER – Warren T. Burns, 87, died Feb. 6, 2012, at his Brewer home. He was born Aug. 30, 1924, in Jersey City, N.J., the second son of Raymond and Anna (Muller) Burns.
He grew up in Bayonne, N.J., and was a studious, intellectually curious boy who loved to read. He was president of the student body at Bayonne High, graduating in 1942 when the world was at war. After a brief stint as a pageboy at a New York City bank, he entered the Army Air Corps. Assigned as a radio operator and midship gunner on a B-17 “Flying Fortress” bomber, he was sent in early 1944 to a newly established Allied base in Foggia, Italy. His crew flew 19 combat missions over Germany, Austria and Romania, arriving back at base many times with badly damaged planes and little fuel. After years of putting the terrible experiences of the war behind him, he reunited with his bomber group on the 50th anniversary of VE day. He then became an active vet, reconnecting with shipmates, sharing his stories with school children, and speaking at the Cole Museum. Many of us were introduced to the joys and horrors of public speaking by “Doc” Burns at the University of Maine or at Husson College. If you were not one of the thousands fortunate enough to have had that experience, you may have been jolted from your Sunday morning repose at St. Mary’s, Orono, or St. John’s, Bangor, by his booming “good morning,” and bright welcoming smile. If you came into his circle, you were a welcome guest, and unlikely to escape a bear hug. After the war, he used the GI Bill to attend Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa., intending to join his brother as a veterinarian, securing a degree in Biology. In Allentown, Pa. – at a dress shop picking up a different date, as the story goes – he met another veteran, Helen Mae Saurman, who had served as an Army nurse on the hospital ship Comfort in the Pacific. They were married April 26, 1952. Having ceased to pursue a career as a veterinarian, he spent several difficult years as a salesman, but found joy working in community theatre and watching his family grow. His brother-in-law, Ken Saurman encouraged him to follow his dreams and pursue higher education in the things he loved, so off he went to Penn State for a master’s in theatre arts and a doctorate in speech communication, completed in 1968. Domestic turmoil, including riots inspired by racial discrimination, dissuaded him from job offers in big cities instead accepting, for the safety of “his boys,” a post at the University of Maine, settling his family in Orono. Warren and Helen became very much a part of their new community and were involved in many social and civic functions, including St. Mary’s church, Kiwanis, Saturday Nighters and many others. Warren has long participated with Barbershop Men’s chorus, and was a current member of the UMaine Black Bear Men’s Chorus. They were great supporters of their sons, and attended all their sports, music and theatre activities, no matter how large or small. They were always in their same seats, easily spotted and often heard, in the first row behind the railing in the UMaine “Pit” when son, Tom played basketball for the Black Bears. In 1991, Warren retired from the University of Maine, and was immediately recruited by New England School of Communications – NESCOM at Husson College, where he taught for another 20 years, including this past fall semester of 2011. In 2005, after 53 years of marriage, Helen passed away. Good friends introduced Warren to Geraldine “Jerry” (Nelson) Douglas in 2006. The ensuing boat party on Cold Stream Pond set in motion an unexpected second marriage for both of these wonderful people. They were married Aug. 19, 2006, and have resided in Brewer. They enjoyed dancing, Kiwanis events, ushering UMaine hockey games, activities with their children and grandchildren, Florida vacations and summers on Cold Stream Pond.
He is survived by his wife, Geraldine “Jerry” Douglas Burns; son, Thomas and his wife, Cynthia Loebenstein, of Portland; son, John and his wife, Nancy White, of East Blue Hill; Rick Douglas of Dothan, Ala., Lorene Clark and her husband, Ken, of Readfield; and grandchildren, Taylor Burns of New York City and recent graduate of Trinity College, Sean Clark at Clark University, Craig Douglas of Orono and recent graduate of UMaine, Samantha Burns at Bowdoin College, Nicholas Burns at High Point University, Madeline Burns at Cornell, Emily Clark at Bates College, Elise Clark of Readfield, Sylvia Chun Ai Burns, a Blue Hill third grader, and almost 4-year-old Kathryn Mae MiLi Burns. His brother, Dr. Raymond V. Burns of Falls Church, Va., predeceased Warren in 1986.
Friends may call 6-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, St. John Roman Catholic Church, 207 York St., Bangor. Spring interment will be at Riverside Cemetery, Orono. Relatives and friends are invited to share conversation and refreshments in the church hall after the service. Gifts in his memory may be sent to CancerCare of Maine, Lafayette Family Cancer Center, care of Healthcare Charities, P.O. Box 931, Bangor, ME 04402-0931 for the Helen Burns Endowment Fund. Condolences to the family may be expressed at
www.BrookingsSmith.com.