Raymond R. Burns

Raymond R. Burns died at the age of 91 on September 25, 2022 at his home in Niskayuna, NY. Ray was a native of Brooklyn, where he was born on October 22, 1930 into the Great Depression. He was the second son of Mary McNamara Burns and Francis Joseph Burns, who worked on Wall Street until the crash of 1929. In grade school, he earned money for his family by running errands for the local fire department. The Depression framed Ray's early life, which was shared with his brother and sister, in a cold-water flat in Prospect Heights. His hard-scrabble early life taught him the worth of hard work, family, and financial responsibility. These values would come to define his life.

Having survived the privations of the Depression years, Ray grew into a resourceful and independent teen. He was a prodigious learner, but he detested the rigidity of his parochial school. At 14, Ray skipped school for almost a year, trading his classroom for the Manhattan Public Library and the city's many museums. But his truancy was eventually discovered, and by the end of 10th grade it was clear he would not graduate. After dropping out, he began working as an apprentice machinist at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. There, his creativity was fostered and he excelled.

When he wasn't working, Ray spent his last years as a teen playing pool and going to parish dances throughout the city. It was at one of these dances that Ray met Irma "Billie" Curtis. After a couple of years full of dating and dancing, the pair were married in April 1951. Ray, who was 20 at the time, needed his mother's signature to tie the knot. That same year, he was drafted into the US Army, where he tested weapons at an Army facility near Brooklyn during the Korean War. Ray served in the Army from 1951-1953. It was during this time that his daughter Laurel Burns was born.

In the Army, Ray was subjected to standard aptitude and intelligence testing. The results confirmed that Ray had a powerful intellect. For the first time in his life, his potential was recognized and he gained the self-confidence necessary to pursue a college education. After leaving the Army, he finished high school and applied for admission at The Cooper Union, where he was accepted in 1955. In 1956 his son Curt Burns was born. Ray graduated from college in 1963.

In 1964 he moved his family to South River, NJ where he began his long career as an engineer. He also started to sing with the South River Imperial Chorus. And he and Billie began to travel, a passion Ray would nurture for the rest of his life. In 1975, he quit smoking and took up running. Over the next two decades, he completed several marathons, including the NYC marathon.

In 1978, Ray's first grandchild was born. Between 1978 and 1986 five more were added to the family. He delighted in being a grandfather and enthusiastically showed up for all events and occasions from elementary school recitals to college graduations. He built playgrounds, went to wrestling matches, and joined trips to Disney World. He was a bright light to his family, influencing all with his optimism, joie de vivre, and (very) honest opinions.

In 2004 Ray was widowed after 50 years of marriage to Billie. He had just retired as the engineering manager at the Meadowland Sports Complex. In 2006, he moved to Niskayuna, NY, to be closer to his children and grandchildren. He quickly found his place in the local musical theater community where he thrived, performing in over a dozen plays. He loved to perform, build sets, throw cast parties, and sing. He was very proud of the two TANY awards he received, one for set design and the other for his role as Joe Zutty in the musical "Working."

In 2006, great-grandchildren began to enter his life, the youngest of whom he met just a few months before he died. In 2010, at the age of 80, he met the second love of his life, Sally Eggers, a retired Niskayuna elementary teacher. Together, Sally and Ray traveled, danced, dined and laughed. Her love sustained him as his health declined, and he was home with Sally when he drew his last breath. Ray's family will always be grateful to Sally for the love, happiness, and fellowship with which she filled Ray's final years.

Ray was predeceased by his parents Mary McNamara and Francis Burns, his brother Francis Burns Jr., his wife Irma Curtis Burns, his son-in-law Kevin Keller and his granddaughter Lindsey Burns. He is survived by his beloved partner Sally Eggers, his children Laurel Burns and Curt Burns (Jen Burns), his sister Margaret Morgan, his grandchildren Bryan Keller (Kate Keller), Jesse Burns, Brendan Keller, Emily Keller, Patrick Keller (Luci Casella), his great grandchildren Keegan, Kevin, Brendan, Otis, and Layla, and the large and loving McNamara-Burns extended family.

Ray's life was a lesson in laughter, love, and eternal youth, and we will all miss him dearly.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Raymond Burns at 1:00 on Sunday, October 23, 2022 at the First Reformed Church of Schenectady, 8 North Church Street, Schenectady, NY