Richard Jonathan Burns, age 52, passed away on Tuesday, September 21, 2021, at the Jackson-Madison County General Hospital in Jackson, TN. Private Family Funeral Services will be held at Holly Grove Baptist Church with Dr. Fred Campbell officiating. He will be buried at Holly Grove Baptist Church Cemetery. Richard was born on May 21, 1969, in Chambersburg, PA. He worked as a truck driver for PAM Transport Services. He loved to drive and see new things. He loved life and loved his family, and he enjoyed cooking for them. He enjoyed guns and shooting them, and collected knives and flashlights. He was very protective of all his family and wanted everyone to know how to defend themselves. He was a PATRIOT – a fierce defender of our great country, its military, the American flag and the constitution, and supported all law enforcement and first responders. He is survived by his wife Tracy Merrick Burns of Brownsville, TN; his mother-in-law, Linda Merrick of Brownsville, TN; one brother, John Burns and his wife, Cheryl and their son, Cody Burns of Seale, AL; one sister, Carmen Beck and her two sons, David Richard Kaufman and Ricki Allen Evans, III, of Mechanicsburg, PA; one step-brother, Brad Beck of Fayetteville, PA; one step-sister, Pam Martin of Chambersburg, PA; sister-in-law Tonya Green and her husband, Max, of Friendship, TN, along with their children Cody, Hunter, and his fiancé, Kaitlyn, Haley and her daughter Kamryn; sister-in-law, Rhonda Anderson and her husband, Tom of Brownsville, TN; their son, Matt Anderson, his wife Meghann, and their children, Sebastian, Tristan and Siobhann of Brownsville, TN; and Mike Anderson, his wife, Emily, and their daughter Josie of Brockport, NY; sister-in-law, Cynthia Tesluk of Laceyville, PA. He was preceded in death by his parents, John Richard Burns, Sr. and Betty Grace Thompson Beck, and his step-father, David Beck. Pallbearers for the service are Matt Anderson, Hunter Green, Cody Green, Austin Miller, Cody Simpson and Cory Simpson. Honorary Pallbearers are Max Green, Tom Anderson, Sebastian Anderson and Tristan Anderson. Memorials may be sent to Holly Grove Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, c/o Becky Booth, 1592 Albert Booth Road, Bells, TN 38006 or Haywood County Animal Shelter, 217 S. Russell Ave., Brownsville, TN 38012. All services and arrangements are under the direction of the Lea & Simmons Funeral Home in Brownsville, TN.
