John Albert Burns

John Albert Burns, 52, passed away Friday, June 16, 2023, in the arms of his wife, Kerri.
He was born July 31, 1970, in Fort Worth, Texas, to Wally Burns and Diane Crabb. He was fortunate, that both of his parents are still with us.
John was saved 5 years ago, at Lakeland Baptist Street Church and was led to Christ, by Pastor Brother York. He loved and respected him dearly along with the other members of their church. Kerri and their daughter were saved and baptized there as well. Pastor, First Lady, and the congregation, have huge hearts and had always supported John and Kerri, treating them with grace. One time without knowing it, John and Kerri had both requested an appointment with Pastor for guidance and prayer on the same day with timing so close that John was probably coming in one door while Kerri was leaving from another. Pastor never mentioned to them that the other one had been there; through Mr. and Mrs. York, they were able to learn from their wisdom and endless love for each other to understand each other because YOU DON'T give up just because some days are hard. Mrs. York got the short straw because she had to deal with Kerri, while Pastor only had to put up with Kerri's heckling during services.
He played drums in two different country bands through the years. This is how he met the love of his life, Kerri. She was at band practice and fell in love with him the moment she looked into his eyes the first time they met. They began dating and he proposed on stage with the house band after only 3 months. Of course, she said YES! And from that moment, they wouldn't be apart. Kerri had 2 children, 6 and 8 years old when they met John and he became "Dad" to them. In the younger days, they would follow several Texas Country Music bands throughout the metroplex and take John and Kerri's kids if they could.
John has lived in his home for over 30 years and has remodeled it several times by himself (which we learned wasn't always the best choice). However, he built and ran a successful commercial door company, DHS Door and Hardware Specialists for over 10 years, and continued to run daily over the phone from his hospital bed or the couch when he wasn't feeling well. He pushed himself and continued to be involved daily until recently when his health started to deteriorate rapidly. The legacy John has built will continue through his wife, Kerri (who works full time herself) and his dedicated employees who truly are their family. John was able to share his door knowledge and train individuals who are now extremely successful. They say John saved their lives, he says, he just gave them a job and chance. These individuals are now part of the Burns family along with the members of their families.
He loved to make people laugh. John would quote movies like, Step Brothers and his favorite sitcom, Everyone Loves Raymond. Most of the time he knew the punch line to the jokes because he had seen every episode several times. John was loved by everyone he met. He had a very calm nature (to a point). He would be so ridiculous sometimes he would even dance through the store or say something off the wall just to embarrass the kids. John was a quiet man who didn't like confrontation. He would wake up Kerri in the middle of the night to check out the noises in the house while he "stayed by the phone" to call for help if needed. John had such a good heart that he would give someone the shirt off his back if they needed it before they even asked.
John had beautiful thick brown hair that was almost never in the right place unless it was under his cowboy hat. He didn't even care if his clothes matched because he didn't care what others thought he just wanted to be happy. John had a smile with dimples that melt his wife's heart, even when she knew he was telling a fib. He was adored by Kerri, whom he also adored. John was the tough guy in front of everyone so he wasn't vocal about his feelings to anyone but her, until the end was near. She knew how much he loved her; he just didn't share it in front of others. Every serious conversation between them ended with a joke. They even both had jokes in their wedding vows. They had their share of problems like any other marriage. John was stubborn and barely listened when others spoke (not just me, really) and married a loud mouth stubborn tomboy who didn't always have the capacity to close her mouth. Sometimes, (most of the time), he would just tell Kerri to argue with herself, while he took a nap. They were lucky enough to find that once in a lifetime, real, "I can't live without you, but I'm too stubborn to admit it" kinda love. Kerri still got butterflies each time he touched her. They knew each other backwards and forwards and always made their way back to each other no matter what trash the devil placed in their path. John wasn't shy about admitting he didn't always know how to love correctly but Kerri always knew in her heart how much he loved her. Together, there wasn't anything they couldn't accomplish except making it to the finish line together.
At the end, John and Kerri decided they were done with the hospitals. Being woken up all night long for routine checks and poked over and over. John made the decision to be comfortable at home with his grumpy dog and family while he completed his journey. At times, Kerri questioned the decision because honestly, some days were long and hard. However, John would remind Kerri often that their love was strong enough to get through the rough days. Even when Kerri's faith was shaken, his was strong enough for both of them. Kerri was thankful that she was able to show him that he was worthy of unconditional love and that he deserved compassion and grace. That putting him first wasn't a burden and he could trust her with all of him. She was honored to be able to show him true unconditional love. In return, it showed her that he finally learned he could trust someone and let all his guards down. He had faith in her ability to not only care for him but to carry out his last wishes as they were instructed. Kerri reminded him that not only was she honoring her marriage vows; for better or worse, in sickness and health it allowed her to have more time with him. Time without wires and gadgets and nurses. She was able to care for him during the day and were able to sleep in their bed and hold each other every night until God was ready for him. Kerri was able to fulfill his final wish, to hold tight until his journey was complete. She got his last smile and got to talk to him through his transition and received the gift of his last bit of strength; he raised his head, kissed her one last time, thanked her for being strong and reminded her how much he had always loved her. Then Kerri held him as tight as she could until he took his final breath and went to find his mansion.
Pastor says, there is a reason and God always has a plan. I wish I knew the specifics because our fairytale was taken way too fast.
John was preceded in death by his sister, Sharry Jones, who became one of Kerri's best friends; granny, Francis Crabb, who thought he could do no wrong; and grandfather, Harvey Crabb.
He is survived by the love of his life, Kerri; sons, John Burns Jr. and Cole Moody; daughter, Leah Moody; godson, Cody Luna; grandchildren, Kenna, Kenleigh and Kamdeon; and his parents.