John Burns Jr.

John R. Burns, Jr., age 70, died of natural causes on August 14, 2021 in Nashua, NH.  John was the eldest son of longtime Nashua residents John Richard Burns and Shirley (nee Bowman) Burns, both deceased. John is survived by a brother, James Burns, of Wayne, PA, an uncle, Donald Burns, of Palm Springs, CA, a nephew, Andrew Burns, of Nederland, CO, a niece, Julia Irwin, of Lyons, CO, and four grandnephews and one grandniece. 

​John graduated in the Nashua High School Class of 1969, where he was Senior Class President and honored as an Outstanding Teenager of America.  John was a standout football star, voted the team’s most valuable player and selected to the NH All-State Football Team.  In 1968, he completed the prestigious program in Advanced Studies at St. Paul's School. John followed in his father's footsteps by attending Dartmouth College, where he majored in English and played freshman football until a knee injury ended his playing career.  After college, John held jobs in the trucking and insurance brokerage fields in New Hampshire and San Francisco, and in the latter earned a regional award as his company's most prolific seller of corporate insurance benefit plans.  After moving back to New Hampshire in the mid-1970's, John lived with his parents on Peele Road and worked at various jobs.  At one point, he lived in Kuwait, where he established lifelong business and personal relationships.  In his parents' final years, John was a huge help to them, allowing them to remain in their home much longer than would otherwise have been possible.

​A private burial service will be held.  John had an enduring love for Dartmouth. Donations in his memory can be made to the Dartmouth College Fund using this address: Dartmouth College, c/o Gift Recording Office, A22WF, 6066 Development Office, Hanover, NH 03755-4400.  Online donations can be made at: www.dartgo.org/dcf.

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