Richard J. Burns

Richard J. Burns, 77, 2071 38th St., Mandan, died May 18, 2002, at his home after a long illness. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Mandan, with the Rev. Patrick Schumacher officiating. Burial will be in Mandan Union Cemetery with military rites by Mandan American Legion and VFW.

Visitation will be held from 4 to 9 p.m. today and 1 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Perry Funeral Home, Mandan, where a rosary will be said at 7 p.m. Tuesday followed by a vigil service. Visitation will continue one hour before services at the church.

Richard was born Dec. 18, 1924, at Fort Rice, N.D., to James W. and Clara (Schiltz) Burns, where he was raised and educated. He married Leota M. Jochim on June 10, 1947, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Bismarck. Richard worked in the sheet metal trade from 1949 to 1985. Many of the projects he had worked on were all of the power plants in the area, hospitals and clinics.

A veteran of World War II, he joined the U.S. Navy when he was 17 years old and served three years and nine months on the USS South Dakota, which saw extensive action in the South Pacific and also was in the European Campaign. He received the World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal (two silver and three Bronze stars), Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia), Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, Philippine Liberation Ribbon (two stars), Philippine Presidential Unit Citation and Solomon Islands Campaign Ribbon and Medal.

He was a lifetime member of the Eagles, Elks and the American Legion and a member of the Moose. He loved to hunt birds and big game, always with his family. Richard and Leota spent many summers at their family cabin at Lake Isabel where he took his kids water-skiing and enjoyed playing cards with Leota. A true snowbird, they spent the last 15 winters in Arizona.

He is survived by his wife Leota; three daughters and one son-in-law, Linda Ohm, Mandan, Rebecca Burns, Bismarck, and Sheryl and Mike Massey, Mandan; four sons and two daughters-in-law, Ronald and Judy Burns, Mandan, Richard L. and Judy Burns, Glendive, Mont., Robert and his fiancee, Cheryl Glatt, Mandan, and Rory Burns, Mandan; one sister, Mary Chapman, New Hope, Minn.; 12 grandchildren, Kris Burns, Shannon Lewis, Jodi Gooding, Ron Burns Jr., Corey and Jamey Ohm, Carrie Stanford, Garett, Jessica and Mitchell Massey, and Ryan and Derek Burns; two great-grandchildren, Kaylea and Morgan Gooding; and two sisters-in-law, Bernice LaDuke and Faye Brewster and her husband, Durwood.

Richard was preceded in death by parents; his grandparents; four sisters, Veronica Hogan, Julia Doering, Irene Walbridge and Margaret Groen; and a special aunt and uncle, Luke and Dorothy Schiltz.

The family prefers memorials to Home on the Range or St. Joseph's School.