James T. Burns, Jr., 90, of Warwick passed away on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at West View Nursing Home. He was the beloved husband of Marie L. (Gearing) Burns and the loving father of Mary Lou Burns of Whitinsville, Massachusetts.
Born in New York City, he was a son of the late James T. Burns, Sr. and Florence (Sandy) Burns. Mr. Burns served as Deputy State Fire Marshall until his retirement in 1991 and retired as a Lieutenant of the Providence Fire Department in 1971. He also served in The United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He was Vice President of Local 799 of the International Association of Firefighters and was a member of the Providence Permanent Firemen’s Relief Association. Mr. Burns was a communicant of St. Catherine of Siena Church for over 40 years, a life member of the Knights of Columbus and a self taught artist.
His funeral will be held on Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at 8:00 a.m. from the Urquhart-Murphy Funeral Home, 800 Greenwich Avenue, Route 5, Warwick (Exit 12A on I-95) with a Mass of Christian Burial at 9:00 am in St. Catherine of Siena Church, 3250 Post Road, Warwick. Burial, with military honors, will follow in Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Exeter. Relatives and friends are invited. Calling hours will be held on Monday from 4-7 pm.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in his memory to Providence Permanent Firemen’s Relief Assn., 92 Printery St., Providence, RI 02904 or McAuley House, P.O. Box 73195, Providence, RI 02907 would be appreciated. www.murphyfuneralhomes.org
