Dan Burns

Daniel Thomas Burns, Jr. was born on February 14th, 1954 as the first born to Daniel Thomas Burns, Sr. and Irene Anne Racosky in Frankfurt, Germany. He spent his early childhood traveling throughout Turkey, Portugal, and France as his father was a cryptologist for the United States Air Force. By the summer of 1969, the Burns family relocated stateside to San Antonio, Texas where he graduated from John Jay High School in 1972. He spent the next 8 years navigating the inner workings of juice vending machines, Wedding photography with his best friend Frank Schilling, Pizza Hut franchises, and eventually earned a Bachelors of Finance from Southwest Texas State University by 1980.

On September 19th, 1980 he met the love of his life, Jenna Lisa Haney outside a Kettle Restaurant's pay phone. They had an instant connection, and in order to continue the conversation, Dan pulled around in his 1978 Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am. This was the car of Jenna's dreams and a sign that he was her main man. They were married on August 1, 1981 (8-1-81 for those of you who know how much of a numbers guy Dan was) and were inseparable ever since. Dan scored his first "real job" with Valero Energy on June 24th, 1981 and while working full time continued his schooling by completing a Bachelor’s of Accounting degree from UTSA along with his Texas Certificate of Public Accounting license.

Dan and Jenna began their family in 1988 with the arrival of Krista Nicole Burns. Dan was offered a transfer to Dallas and a change from accounting to marketing in February of 1990. The following year in March of 1991, they completed their family with the arrival of Aaron Thomas Burns. In 1996 Dan was transferred to Cypress where they raised their two amazing children until 2017, when, in anticipation of retirement, they bought a home in Austin closer to family (grandkids) and Dan commuted to Downtown Houston for his job with Enterprise Products.

Dan's journey begins with him transferring within the same asset for the past 40 years as it was bought and sold many times over from PG&E, to El Paso Energy, to landing the Vice President of Texas Gas Pipeline Systems role with Enterprise Products. He was the man you could always count on - though he was a man of few words, those words were insightful, encouraging, and to the point. His dry sense of humor and deep commitment to his beloved wife and fierce love for his family will be greatly missed.

Dan is survived by his wife of 40 years, Jenna Lisa Burns; children, Krista Burns Veiga (Gavin) and Aaron Burns; his mother, Irene Burns; sister, Fran Adkisson (David) and sister, Andrea Burns (Kelvin Pryor). Left to treasure his memories are his grandchildren, Annalise Danielle and Alexander Antonio Veiga; grand dogs, Loki and Jett; and multiple aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his father, Daniel Thomas Burns, Sr. and brother, Michael Burns.

The legacy of Dan Burns lives on each one of us and especially in those whom he fiercely loved. We ask in lieu of flowers, to send your stories, your thank you's to Dan, and any photos to [email protected] as we compile a new website in his honor (danthemiracleman.com).

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." - John 14:2-3