Marcus "Buck" Burnis

Marcus Gerald "Buck" Burnis, born April 27, 1932, in Trout Lake, MI, left this earth to be with Jesus in his eternal heavenly home at 2:30 am, January 28, 2026. He passed peacefully from natural causes in his home on Gulliver Lake with wife Joyce and son Ron at his side. He was 93 years old.

Buck's father was employed by the Soo Line and as such they moved around a bit. Starting in Trout Lake followed by Garnet for nine years, then Rexton for two years. At age 12, the family moved to Manistique where they had an indoor bathroom for the first time; such was life in small town Yooper in the 1930's – 40's. He attended St. Francis Elementary/Jr. High School and graduated from Manistique High School in 1950. During high school, Buck worked at the handle factory in Manistique. Following high school, he worked as a carpenter on Mackinac Island during the winter months and the DNR Forestry division in the summer, which would ultimately become his career.

From 1950 to 1960, Buck built 18 boats. He was a talented craftsman and was meticulous with design and construction details. He was one of the founding members of the Kitch-iti-kipi Aqua Club (1955 – 1961), performing water ski shows on Indian Lake, the Manistique River and Fayette State Park. He built the boats, water skis and ski jumps the Club used. He was likely the first person in the UP to ski barefoot. There were several postcards of the Club's performances available for sale at local retailers right up until the early 1970's. His last large water ski show was for the 1976 bicentennial Blessing of the Fleet in the Manistique marina. He was relegated to Helmsman as his boys and their cousins performed the show.

On June 3, 1961, Buck married Joyce Marie Lawerence at St. Theresa Catholic Church in Germfask, MI. The couple had all four of their sons while living in Germfask. The family moved to Manistique in July 1969. In 1990, following his retirement from the DNR, he and Joyce moved to Gulliver Lake. He put his carpentry skills to work, improving and adding onto their home in Germfask and building both the Manistique and Gulliver Lake homes from the ground up.

Buck earned his pilot's license in 1967. He attended the EAA Convention in Oshkosh, WI every year from 1972 – 2015 (44 consecutive conventions) and built his own aircraft from plans (not a kit) which he flew to the convention 11 times. In 1988, he and his son Mark flew on one of the British Airways Concords during the Oshkosh airshow, going Mach 1.0 over Lake Michigan. Buck also loved cross-country skiing on their property in Gulliver, averaging 500 miles each year as well as many other outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing and snowmobiling.

Buck was strong in his Catholic faith serving as an altar boy while attending St. Francis School and an Extra Ordinary Minister as an adult. He and Joyce sent all four of their sons to St. Francis School as well. He was probably best known for his patience, which surely came in handy being a father to four boys. He would drive the ski boat for hours while his boys and their cousins developed their water-skiing skills.

Buck is survived by his wife of 65 years, Joyce, son Mark (wife Liz, children Zach and Sophie) of Caledonia, MI; son Tom (wife Lisa, children Jake and Josh, Lauren, Michaela and Brianna) of Gulliver Lake; son Ron (wife Jeanne, children Audrey and Hannah) of Spring Lake, MI; son Jerry (wife Kathya, children Patrick and Brendan) of Midland, MI as well as his sister Ruth Anne Johnson of Manistique. He also had five great grandchildren with a sixth on the way and many nieces and nephews, all of whom affectionately called him Uncle Buck.

Public visitation will be held at Fausett Family Funeral Homes in Manistique, Michigan February 2, 2026, from 3:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. with a rosary service to follow, Father Ben Paris presiding.

A mass of Christian burial will take place the following day at Saint Francis De Sales, February 3, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.

If you wish to make a donation in his honor, please direct it to the Saint Francis De Sales School.

Fausett Family Funeral Homes is assisting the family with arrangements.