John William Burch

John William Burch 84, passed away peacefully in Tucson, AZ on Saturday, April 26, 2014, with his son, William "Bill J." and family members at his side. John, who liked to go by his middle name "Bill", was born on July 14, 1929 in Punxsutawney, PA, to Vera J. Burch (Nollen) and Jay C. Burch. In 2000, John was preceded in death by his wife of 44 years, Dorothy J. Burch (Chapman) and his brothers, Fred (2010) and Bob (2013). John is survived by his only child and son, William J. Burch and John's siblings, Jim, Don, Margaret "Peggy", Helen "JoAnn" and Ruthie. John served in the United States Army and was stationed in Japan during the Korean War. After discharge from the Army he headed West with the intention of going to California but only got as far as Arizona before car trouble brought his journey to a halt. This turned out to be the defining moment of his life as that was where he met and married the true love of his life, Dorothy. Married in 1956, they settled in Tucson, where they remained their entire marriage. Their only child, a son, William J. Burch was born in 1958 and John set about learning the sales profession after many side jobs in the trades. John remained in sales his entire life until he retired in 1995. He had a liking for people and developed his sales skills thru long study and effort, soon focusing on major appliances. He was a salesman and manager for a number of Tucson appliance stores over the years, working the last 14 years or so of his career as General Manager of the two Appliance-TV City Stores in Tucson, continuing in that position after they were purchases by Silo. In the late 1970's and early 1980's, John served for several years on the Electric League of Arizona, and was on their Board of Directors from 1976 - 1980. Along with sales, John truly enjoyed the weekly rounds of golf with his son and brothers, Fred, Jim and Bob. A "Weekend warrior" when it came to golf, John loved the game nevertheless. One of his main reasons for living in Tucson, the weather, made it possible to play most every weekend, year round, and he took great advantage of the opportunity. All in all he enjoyed the game for over 40 years. John also had a passion for reading (motivational, self-help and health were favored topics) and was interested in all things scientific and technical. He had a keen desire to know how things worked and how things were manufactured, which was only eclipsed by his interest in driving around the block two or three times every weekend at a large construction site to see how things were coming along. John was a quiet man but his love and devotion for his wife and son was exceptionally strong. He deeply loved his brothers and sisters and extended family as well. John was always encouraging the best in people he cared about and he always tried to remain calm and take things in stride. One of his favorite sayings was that we should "Enjoy today, and worry about tomorrow when it gets here." John was blessed with and enjoyed good health most of his life until the last few months, but he faced each day with a smile and positive outlook and expectation for a better future. His love for his family was deep and will endure for those who were blessed to know him, and to call him father and brother. In keeping with his quiet nature, John requested that no services be held (too much crying he always thought) and that he be cremated, with his remains spread in the same beautiful spot that his wife Dorothy's remains were, near the top of Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, AZ. In lieu of any donations, in John's honor, simply tell someone you love that you love them, even if you just did it this morning. John felt it could never be said too much. Arrangements by MARANA MORTUARY.