Mr. Russell “Russ” Lee Burns died on March 20, 2025. His parents, James Poplin and Alice Marie Rushing Burns, predeceased him. Mr. Burns is survived by his faithful wife whom he loved more than life, Allison Williams Burns, and one son, Tyler James Burns, whom he deeply loved and respected. He is also survived by three sisters, Pamela Marie Burns, Sandra Jane Provow and her husband Tom, and Penelope Ann Ward and her husband Donny; one brother, James William Burns and his wife Maribeth; sister-in-law, Kelly Ruff and her husband Gary; and stepmother-in-law, Freida Williams. He was also predeceased by his father-in-law, Jerry Williams, and mother-in-law, Alice Parker.
First and foremost, Mr. Burns was a passionate follower of Jesus Christ and sought to apply the truths of his faith in every aspect of his life and was a member of Christ Presbyterian Church. He viewed his quest to know his God as a lifelong pursuit. This extended to asking hard questions of God that a fainter soul may have been afraid to pursue. However, he knew that his God was big enough to handle the questions and give him the grace and mercy to accept whatever the answers were, even when sometimes not understanding.
Mr. Burns was born and raised in Murfreesboro and graduated from Riverdale High School. From there he enrolled in and graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a Bachelors in Business Administration. It was at MTSU where he first showed signs of his business acumen as president of the Special Events Committee where he worked closely with university staff in the production and promotion of concerts at Murphy Center.
Upon graduation from MTSU, Mr. Burns joined the United States Air Force. After serving in Officer Training School and pilot training he served on active duty for three years and then returned to Nashville to serve as a pilot in the Tennessee Air National Guard, where he flew part-time, on nights and weekends. This service included several active-duty deployments including Desert Shield/Desert Storm and as part of the United Nations peace keeping force in Sarajevo.
Additionally on his return to Nashville, Mr. Burns began his construction career with Lacona Construction, which was subsequently bought by Turner Construction Company. He quickly rose in the ranks to ultimately become part of Turner’s executive leadership team.
In 2008, sensing a calling to formal theological pursuits, Mr. Burns retired from Turner to enroll in Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO where he earned a Masters in Exegetical Theology with honors. While attending seminary Mr. Burns began consulting with Clayco, ultimately becoming its President and CEO, positions he held until his retirement in 2024. Under his leadership, Clayco grew exponentially, becoming a company of eight integrated businesses with revenues exceeding $5.8 billion. After retirement, Mr. Burns continued to serve as Chairman of Clayco’s Board of Advisors.
Mr. Burns believed that life presents us all with endless opportunities to make a difference, for good or bad, through our action or inaction and he sought to take advantage of those opportunities not only in business but in all of life. To that end Mr. Burns was involved in a number of charitable organizations including service on the boards of Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement, Vanderbilt Medical Center, YMCA of Middle Tennessee and Ascension St. Thomas Foundation Board, where he served as board chair.
A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 1:00pm at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN. Visitation with the family will follow from 2:00pm until 4:00pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family is asking that you make a donation to the James P. and Alice R. Burns Saint Louise Clinic Fund in care of Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford Foundation, 1700 Medical Center Parkway, Murfreesboro, TN 37129 or at http://give.stthomas.org/russburns.
