Charles Patrick Burns

1937 - 2025

Charles Patrick Burns

October 8, 1937 - June 30, 2025

Nashville, Tennessee - Charles Patrick "Pat" Burns, aged 87, passed away peacefully on June 30, 2025, in the Blakeford Retirement Community of Nashville, TN, after a brief illness.

Pat was born on October 8, 1937, in Kansas City, MO. He grew up in the Kansas City metropolitan area, attending Shawnee Mission High School before completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Kansas, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He attended medical school at the University of Kansas, where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society before completing an internship and residency in internal medicine, as well as a fellowship in hematology and oncology, at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. During his internship, Pat met the love of his life, Janet Sue Burns (née Walsh), whom he married 5 years later in Cleveland. He was also drafted into the Army for a two-year term, serving as a Captain on the medical staff, during which he spent one year stationed in South Korea.

After his medical training, Pat and Jan moved to Iowa City, IA, where Pat was recruited to the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Iowa (UI) Hospitals and Clinics. Pat was on the UI medical faculty for 35 years, serving as a Professor of Medicine, practicing physician, scientist, mentor, and Director of the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Bone Marrow Transplantation for 14 years.

Starting in high school, Pat took an interest in performing biomedical research that continued alongside his medical training and endured throughout his career. During his tenure at the UI, he served as the Principal Investigator of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded scientific laboratory conducting original cancer research. Pat published over 130 manuscripts, 11 book chapters, and delivered numerous scientific talks. His enthusiasm for research led to a year-long sabbatical at The Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories in London, where he and his family spent a unique and enriching year in the early 1980s.

In addition to his medical and scientific accomplishments, Pat was devoted to academic service, having served on numerous committees at the UI, chaired study sections and site visits for the NIH, served as Associate Editor for the journal Cancer Research, and consulted for the Irish Health Research Board. He also mentored countless aspiring doctors, other healthcare professionals, and scientists at all levels of training, many of whom went on to high-profile academic careers themselves.

He carried his devotion to patient care and service into retirement, spent with Jan on Hilton Head Island, SC. He joined Volunteers in Medicine (VIM), a medical clinic staffed by retired doctors and other volunteers who provide free healthcare to individuals without insurance in the Lowcountry. For 14 years, he spent one or two days per week seeing and treating patients on a pro bono basis. In addition, he served as Chairman of the VIM Medical Executive Committee, sat on the Board of Directors, and was elected as a Fellow of the VIM. He also founded the VIM medical review journal, which remains in existence today. During retirement, Pat was honored for his lifelong accomplishments when he was named a Master of the American College of Physicians and Honorary Emeritus Member of the American Society of Hematology.

Pat was a caring and devoted son, husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, and friend. During retirement, he enjoyed many things, including playing tennis, going out to dinner with Jan, reconnecting with old friends, sharing ice cream with his grandchildren, and hosting some of his favorite people at their home on Hilton Head Island.

Pat was an avid reader and aficionado of art and classical music. He appeared most content in his library, where he would spend hours by himself or with Jan, reading for work or pleasure, working on his computer, and listening to live recordings of classical music, often at a high volume. At the end of a rousing piece, he could frequently be heard yelling "Bravo! Bravo!" as the audience cheered in appreciation. Pat's patients, trainees, colleagues, friends, and family share in a round of applause and collective "Bravo! Bravo!" on a life well lived. In reflections written in 2014, Pat stated, "I had a life that could not be more perfect for me".

Pat is survived by his sons, Charles Geoffrey "Geoff" Burns (Caroline) of Newton, MA, and Scott Patrick Burns (Meredith) of Nashville, as well as his grandchildren, Lilyanne Ruth Burns, Charlotte Caroline Burns, and Griffin Andrew Burns. He is preceded in death by his parents, Charles Edgar and Ruth E. Burns (née Eastham), formerly of Leawood, Kansas, and his wife of almost 57 years, Janet Sue Burns, also formerly of Nashville, who passed away approximately 6 weeks prior. Pat showed a heroic commitment to caring for Jan by himself during her decline from Alzheimer's disease until the late stages of her disease.

Pat's life will be celebrated with a private scattering and interment of his ashes, together with Jan's, on Hilton Head Island. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic of Hilton Head Island. The family would like to thank the staff of Blakeford at Green Hills, including those in independent living, Woodcrest skilled nursing, and Burton Court Memory Care, for providing exceptional support and care for their loved one during his final years.

Arrangements in the care of Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services, Nashville, TN (615) 857-9955.