Frederick William Burns, Jr.

Frederick William Burns, Jr. was born on Easter Sunday in 1953 to Fred, Sr. and Jean Burns in Illinois.

He met his wife of 42 years, Carol (Krapf), in Peotone, Illinois and they wed in 1976. They lived in Illinois and Wisconsin, before settling in Vero Beach, Florida.

Together they have two daughters, Carrie (and Christopher Fairchild) and Amanda (and Paul Napoli); two grandchildren, Michael and Elizabeth; and a granddog, Cooper “Magoo”. All of whom Fred loved dearly and he would cheer on every day.

Fred worked hard to provide for his family. He was a dedicated employee of Illinois Central Railroad before moving to Vero Beach to work at Piper Aircraft in the late 1980s. Later he started working at what is now known as CVS/Caremark where he remained until he retired in July 2017.

When he wasn’t working hard he enjoyed playing golf with his friends who nicknamed him “The Birdie Machine”, rooting on the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Blackhawks and watching his beloved western TV show, “Gunsmoke”.

He was a devoted man of faith and a member of First United Methodist Church in Vero Beach.

Fred was a fighter and fought a hard 10-1/2 year battle with leukemia ultimately succumbing to complications following a bone marrow transplant. He passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida during the evening hours of August 20, 2018.

He is survived by his loving wife, Carol Lu; his daughters, Carrie (and Christopher Fairchild) and Amanda (and Paul Napoli); his grandchildren, Michael and Elizabeth Fairchild; his siblings, Gerald, Edward, Sandra (Swartz) and Debra (Dietz); his mother-in-law, Marian Krapf; and numerous family and friends who all loved him dearly.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Jean Burns; his older brother, Ronald; his father-in-law, Wayne Krapf; and his best friend, John Clark.

In lieu of flowers the family is asking that donations be made to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or the Open Arms Foundation (https://www.maac.com/our-programs/open-arms) in memory of Fred Burns.

A memorial service will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 1, 2018 at First United Methodist Church, 1750 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32960.