Robert Burns, funeral director

Robert J. Burns Sr., 67, a longtime funeral director, died Monday, Sept. 9, of pulmonary fibrosis at his home in Northeast Philadelphia.

Mr. Burns was a director and owner of Burns Funeral Home, which has branches in Fishtown, Northeast Philadelphia, and Levittown. The firm was founded in 1939 by his parents, Martin J. Burns Sr. and the former Grace R. McNeill.

He worked for 40 years in the family business, patiently tending to the area's bereaved families.

"I loved the business. I had a great life. I worked with my family," Mr. Burns reflected recently, according to his brother Joseph J.

Born and raised in Fishtown, Mr. Burns was a 1963 graduate of Father Judge High School. Afterward he had a number of jobs before joining the family business.

He drove a truck for Torresdale Fuel Co., delivering coal and oil to homes in Northeast Philadelphia. His claim to fame, he liked to joke, was the time he overturned a coal truck on Torresdale Avenue, forcing the Route 56 trolley to shut down due to spilled coal. The incident made the evening news.

And he worked for Proctor & Schwartz, an electrical equipment firm, and did iron work on the Spectrum during its construction in the 1960s.

But the funeral business was growing, and his father needed help. So Mr. Burns went to night school to qualify for mortuary school in New York. After graduating in 1973, he began work and continued until three weeks ago. He never retired.

He loved golf and spending time with family and friends.

Surviving are his wife, the former Maria Monaco; son Robert J. Jr.; daughter Lisa Burns Campbell; four grandchildren; three brothers; and nieces and nephews.

A viewing from 8 to 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Burns Funeral Home in the Northeast, 9708 Frankford Ave., will be followed by a 10 a.m. Funeral Mass at St. Katherine of Siena Church, 9700 Frankford Ave. Burial is in Resurrection Cemetery in Bensalem.