Johnny Burns

Johnny Burns College Station - John Alan Burns of College Station passed away on Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at the age of 65. His battle with myelofibrosis in recent years showed his courage in facing life's challenges with a smile. Through it all, "JB" remained strong and was still cracking "dad" jokes to make others laugh.

Johnny was born in Bryan, Texas, but grew up in Brownsville, Texas where he graduated from Brownsville High School in 1975. He went on to his beloved Texas A & M University, "frogged in" as a member of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band, and graduated in 1979 with a degree in Business Management. After a brief stint with the Burns Floral Company, aka "Son and Burns Floral Company", Johnny went to work for Lamar Advertising for 42 years. He worked in several exciting locations like Agusta, Georgia and Midland, Texas, but he spent the last 15 years as the General Manager at the Bryan/College Station Lamar location where he'd been "Foolin' Harvard Grads for 4 decades!"

Johnny was married to the love of his life Patty for 41 years. They lived with an enthusiasm for life, a love of all things A&M, and a devotion to their family and friends. They had 3 daughters, Jennifer, Sara, and Avery who each possess different aspects of Johnny's personality that will keep him alive in our hearts and memories.

Johnny was actively involved in the Wichita Falls City Council as well as an enthusiastic sports announcer for local sporting events where he made great use of his wit and inventive vocabulary. He also was involved in the Optimist Club of Wichita Falls and College Station, and umpired for the Texas A&M track team for the past few years.

Johnny is survived by his wife Patty Burns, his daughters Jennifer Burns; Sara Burns McGill and her husband Troy McGill and their daughters Aidynn and Reese; Avery Burns Richards and her husband Ray Richards and their daughter Boone. Other survivors include Johnny's brother Jim Burns and his wife Robyn and their sons James and John; and his sister Philis Tompkins and her husband Richard. Johnny was preceded in death by his parents Jimmy and Marylyn Burns of Brownsville, Texas.

A funeral service is scheduled for Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 10:30 A.M. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 906 George Bush Drive, College Station, Tx, 77840. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the MPN Research Foundation in Johnny Burns' name. https://www.mpnresearchfoundation.org/ The family would like to especially thank the doctors and nurses who worked with Johnny at the St. Joseph Health Cancer Center in Bryan, Texas as well as those at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Tx. These caring and tireless professionals went above and beyond in their compassion and treatment of Johnny and his family during this difficult time.

Let us all remember the good times we shared with Johnny, celebrate his life, and be grateful for the time we spent with him. Whether it was throwing rocks on family camping trips, cruising the halls of Cummings Junior High and Brownsville High School as best buddies, family trips in "the intrepid silly goose", sharing a Whataburger, numerous misadventures whose details are known only to his closest friends and best kept that way, turkey hunts, tailgates, and Aggie football games, we all have been blessed to have shared in Johnny Burns' life. Let us all vow to keep his "Fightin' Texas Aggie Spirit" and his zest for life alive in the way we live our lives.