Rodney R. Burns, Sergeant Major, U.S. Marine Corps (retired) passed away on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. Rod was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts on Feb. 23, 1922, and lived in Needham, Massachusetts until he joined the Marine Corps in 1941.
Rod was preceded in death by his mother Sadie MacDonald Burns; father Leo Burns; sister Charlotte Castagnetti; first wife Patricia Donahue Burns; sons Bruce Burns and Mark Burns; and granddaughter Autumn Bennett.
He is survived by his loving wife, Dr. Thelma Foley-Burns; daughters Bonnie Franklin (Tom) and Jacqueline Denen (John); sons Patrick Burns (Mickie) and Timothy Burns; daughters Laurie Karr (Colman), Sharon Bennett (Gary) and Evelyn Foley; granddaughters Jessica Denen and Serenity Crofoot (Ben); grandsons Joshua Burns (Beth), Johnson Denen (Sarah), Jordan Burns, Trevor Burns and John Eyre (Molly); grandsons Dillon Burks (Elisha) and Ben McCoy; granddaughters Dallas Karr and Annie Bates (Greg); great-grandsons Paxton Denen, Carlin Denen and Reid Denen; great-granddaughters Aspen Burks and Sophia Eyre; great-grandsons Waylon Burks and Logan Bates; and a very special nephew, Colonel Gene Castagnetti, U.S. Marine Corps (retired) (Nina).
Rodney served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps from Dec. 16, 1941 until Aug. 31, 1973. He was awarded many medals and citations for his devoted service in the South Pacific during World War II (1942-1945), in the Korean War (1952-1953) and in the Vietnam War (1966-1967; 1969-1971). In 1953, he was trenched 2 miles from ground zero in Yucca Flats, Camp Desert Rock, Nevada, during the atomic bomb testing. He ended his Marine Corps duty in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was Sergeant Major in charge of recruiting for the states of Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi. He retired under Governor Winfield Dunn, who made him a Colonel, Aide deCamp, of the State of Tennessee.
As a civilian, Rodney attended Nashville Vocational School for two years and graduated as an air conditioning mechanic. He ran his own air conditioning-heating company for 10 years.
Rod was an avid hockey player, referee and coach. He spent lots of time at the Sportsplex and was known as the "Hockey Granddad." He taught many others to skate until he hung up his own skates at 78 years old.
Rod was a lifetime member of the American Legion Post 88, VFW Post 1970, as well as a lifetime member of many Marine Corps associations. From 1994 to 1997, he was the Drum Major of the Nashville Pipes and Drums and marched alongside his beloved wife Thelma, who was a bagpiper in the band. Rod was a member of Christ Church.
Visiting hours will be held Friday, Dec. 13, 4:00-8:00 pm, and Saturday, Dec. 14, 1:00-2:30 pm, at Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home & Memorial Park, 660 Thompson Lane, Nashville, TN 37204. The funeral service will begin at 2:30 pm on Saturday in the chapel at Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton. Rod will then be buried with military honors at Christ Church Memorial Gardens, 15354 Old Hickory Blvd in Nashville. Pallbearers will be Patrick Burns, Timothy Burns, Joshua Burns, Johnson Denen, Dillon Burks, Coley Karr, John Denen and Gary Bennett. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation would be appreciated.
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