Obituary of Donald Burns

BURNS, Donald "Don" passed away on September 15, 2018. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Katherine "Kay" Burns; his daughters, Karen Burns (Pedro Davis) and Cynthia Burns (O M Brack, Jr., deceased); granddaughter, Katherine Burns-Davis, and brother-in-law, Joseph Heitz (Silvia). Don graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and served in the Army during the Korean War. He was one of the ten men who wrote and produced Psychological Warfare radio broadcasts, newspapers, and leaflets for all United Nations forces. After the war, he returned to Chicago where he held executive positions in manufacturing, chemical, and advertising firms. In 1959, Don and his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he and Kay founded and owned two advertising agencies and held interests in a various businesses including a working cattle ranch. He served as Senior VP of Surety Savings, Senior VP of Southwest Savings, Executive VP of National Life and Casualty, Executive VP of National Producers Life, President of Century Bank, and Managing Agent for the Resolution Trust Corporation. He worked as a consultant to banks and the central governments in former Eastern Bloc countries to establish their national monetary funds and banking systems, and in that capacity, he and Kay lived in Prague, Bratislava, and Sophia. He and Kay visited more than 50 countries together, and they retired to Oro Valley, Arizona. Our family extends special thanks to the physicians and nurses who cared for him throughout his lifetime, to the staff of Casa de la Luz Hospice, and to our family and friends for their love and support. Arrangements by ADAIR FUNERAL HOME, Dodge Chapel.