Don E. Burns

On November 12, 2017, Don E. Burns passed away in De Pere, WI while in Hospice care after a long illness. He was 80. Don overcame early adversity. He was born on a farm near Prarie City, Iowa, and raised by a single mother, Lena Burns (ne’e Funk), in nearby Mingo. He contracted polio as a youth, but survived and went on to earn all-state honors in high school basketball. He entered the Army at age 18, serving for three years in Verdun, France. Upon discharge, Don studied engineering at Iowa State University—the first in his family to attend college. While still in school, he married and had twin boys. In 1967, Don earned a Ph.D. in the new field of Sanitary (Environmental) Engineering, embarking on a nearly 50-year career as a leading researcher and company president in the water treatment industry. The quest for clean water took Don all over the world. His career began in RD at EIMCO Corp. (later a division of Envirotech) in Salt Lake City. In 1985, he became President of General Filter Co. in Ames, Iowa. He spent his final years as a consultant and Board member at WesTech Engineering in Salt Lake City. For decades, he published numerous professional papers in applied engineering, spoke at conferences, and taught at universities. He was well-known for mentoring many young engineers. Don embodied traditional Midwestern values of hard work, discipline, integrity, honesty, and reliability. He lifted himself out of poverty, always provided for his family, and took care of his employees. He kept his covenants. He loved the wide-open spaces of the American West. He especially enjoyed fly fishing trips organized by his son, Dan, often to the Beaverhead River in Montana or the Green River in Wyoming. Norman Maclean was right: A river does run through it. What he did not love was golf, which frustrated him to no end. Don passed on a bright, Sunday morning, with his daughter seated next to him, his hand in hers, and the song Danny Boy playing. We will miss him. Every day. He is survived by wife of 57 years, Barbara; two children: David and Jennifer A. Burns, M.D.; six grandchildren: Chase, Cody, Jessica, Collin, Kate, and Dan; and a great grandchild: Brighton. Don was preceded in death by his son Dan and his sister Jacquelyn. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful nurses and volunteers at Unity Hospice in De Pere, Wisconsin. We’re deeply grateful for their commitment to Don’s end of life care. A memorial service to celebrate Don’s life will be held on his next birthday, May 6, 2018, in Utah, details to follow. We ask that in lieu of flowers, gifts be made to charities favored by Don: Bay Area Humane Society, and Paralyzed Veterans of America.