Obituary of Gordon Russell Burns
February 29, 1952 – March 13, 2020
With daughters by his side, Gordon Russell Burns passed away on March 13, 2020 from a rare form of cancer at the age of 17(68) at the Grande Prairie Hospital.
Gordon will be lovingly remembered by his four daughters Leslie McLeod (Kelvin), Heather (Mark) Favron, Kelly (Carey) Opper and Kyla Burns (Shawn); Grandchildren, Victoria (Karl), Patricia (Chad), Olyvia (Ben), Jenelle (Burton), Jayme (Catherine), Jesse, Jayden (Adam), Bryce, Cassey, Juliet and Arabelle; Great-Grandchildren Asher and Emma; Brothers, Shan(Wendy), Ralph, Emmet (Lynn), Tom (Cheryl); Sisters Kathy (Larry), Janet (Jim) Pre-deceased by Wendy and brother Bobbie.
He was born and raised in Devon, Alberta, where he went to work at a young age and tried his hand at many things but fell in love with carpentry. As a well-known journeyman carpenter, Gordon worked hard to support his family, which included building three homes. He loved working with wood and creating beautiful things like bird houses, coffee tables & picnic tables and more.
Gordon was first an adventurer. He loved the land and the natural beauty of landscapes and was always exploring, learning about birds, rivers, stars and the environment. With this voyager spirit he made the most courageous move. He sold his Honda motorcycle for a school bus, packed up the family, and headed North to the Yukon. Henderson Corner is where Gordon raised his girls with strong values, fierce independence and most of all love, and where he enjoyed time spent with family and friends. He was a teacher and mentor for his girls and grandchildren and taught us how to live off the land with the land; where to find edible plants, how to whittle a whistle, the sound of each bird, and to appreciate the great outdoors.
Gordon was always up for a debate, whether it be about a pipeline, the environment, the government or his beloved CBC radio. He spent a great deal of time learning and researching how we could make things better for his grandchildren and future generations. “I won’t miss what is happening in the world around us but I will miss my family and your mom’s cooking.”
One of his greatest joys was spending time with family, be it camping at Slave Lake, a grandchild’s graduation or a family reunion. He loved sitting around a good campfire – the stories and laughs were long and endless.
With his love of reading he lived a thousand different lives through stories but his favorite story of all was living in the Yukon building a life for those he loved.
Dad was a true example of family, always together, always strong. We love you dad and we will never forget – we promise!
On behalf of Gordon, the family would like to express our sincere appreciation to Dad’s doctor – Dr. Keegan and our amazing nursing staff on 5 North at the Grand Prairie Hospital.
Care entrusted to Bear Creek Funeral Home 780 830 7742 www.bearcreekfuneral.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Gordon
Russell
Burns 1952 2020..
Death notice for the town of: Grande-Prairie, Province: Alberta