Earl Lloyd Burns' Obituary
Earl Lloyd Burns, 96, of Arlington, Texas, died February 22, 2018. He was born March 27, 1921 to Lloyd and Gladys Burns in Amarillo, Texas. He married his high-school sweetheart, Evelyn Blalack in Dallas, Texas, with whom he had two children – DeWayne and Renee, all of whom preceded him in death. He is survived by his only Grandchild, Elaine Christina Burns-McNicholas.Earl was initiated or “raised” a Texas Mason in June 1948 and became a Master Mason in September of the same year. He was celebrated for his 65th year in the organization and would have celebrated in his 70th year in 2018. He was also a long-time and highly accomplished member of the Scottish Rite/Shriners and the Order of the Eastern Star.Earl was a man of many talents and interests. He was known for being the fastest runner on the track team in high school. He always took pride in his appearance and maintained his sense of style well into his last years. He had a passion for traveling and was an avid RV enthusiast, owning several RVs over the course of his life in which he traveled all over the US. During his travels, he was afforded the opportunity to find treasures which he brought back home and re-sold at a flea market he ran called The Trading Post in Irving. He had a long-time career as a home builder and inspection manager for the Department of HUD. He was a lover of Western films, “big band” music (or anything could dance to), and he most certainly loved sweets. His Granddaughter doesn’t remember a single day he missed his ice cream from the time she was a little girl into her adulthood, and he always had a huge supply of candy which he enjoyed giving away to family, friends and caregivers any chance he got. His father drove a candy truck in the 1920s and is rumored to have sold the very first Baby Ruth candy bar. The sweets must have stuck with him.Above all, Earl loved to dance and devoted his life to this passion. He spent many years studying ballroom dancing and performing with his partners, with whom he won many awards. He later shared his joy and passion with others through teaching this art. He literally danced until he could no more.Those who knew him would say he could be commanding, very particular and quite hard-headed; however, he was hard-working, humble, generous and a true gentleman. He loved and was loved deeply and will be revered and missed by many.
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