Shirley Katherine Burns' Obituary
Shirley Katherine Sandkuhl Burns, devoted wife, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother, and trusted friend went home into the glorious presence of her Lord and Savior on September 3, 2024.
Shirley was born on April 10, 1939, in Dallas, Texas, the daughter of Edgar and Katherine Crowe Sandkuhl. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, attended Baylor University and completed her undergraduate degree at SMU. While at SMU, Shirley enjoyed her friends and membership in the Delta Zeta sorority. In later years, she went on to complete her master’s degree in Speech Pathology at TWU.
Shirley met Jerry Burns, her high-school sweetheart, and they married on September 17, 1957. The young couple resided in Waco, Texas, while he served in the U.S. Air Force, and later moved back home to Dallas, Texas, where they raised their family, with a short two-year stint in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In later years, she and Jerry moved to Fairfax, Virginia and then to Taipei, Taiwan for 10 years, before returning to the Dallas area in the early aughts. She and Jerry remained loving companions for 65 years of marriage.
Shirley had a long career in education with an incredible talent to teach pre-school and elementary school age children, and a special calling for teaching deaf students. After college, one of her first classrooms was in the same elementary school where she herself attended as a student. For over 25 years, Shirley poured into hundreds of families teaching at The Lamplighter School in Dallas. She retired from teaching when she and Jerry moved to Virginia.
Jerry and Shirley centered their family life around their beloved First Baptist Church of Dallas., where she was a dedicated member since birth. She served many years in the Silent Friends Sunday School department educating deaf children and in recent years she taught an English class for Chinese members of the church.
Shirley was highly respected, admired and loved by everyone she met. She leaves a legacy of unconditional love for her Lord, family, friends and many others to follow. Her greatest pride and joy were her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Shirley was predeceased by her parents and dear husband of 65 years, Jerry. She is survived by her sons, Ben (Jeffie), Andrew (Amy), Chris (Amber), daughter, Katie (Eric); eleven grandchildren, Jeremy, Jennifer, Jackie, Tyler, Rachel, Carter, Brandi, Christopher, Mark, Michael, and Logan; fourteen great-grandchildren, Stormi, Avari, Preslei, Molli, Nathan, Benjamin, John Wesley, Crosby, Gehrig, Lake, Alexi, Riley Jo, William, and Henry; and one great-great-grandchild, Cove; and many cousins.
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