Paul E. Burns

September 21, 1935 - May 13, 2022

SAN DIEGO —

On the afternoon of May 13, 2022, Paul Burns passed away peacefully at home in La Mesa, CA, surrounded with family members, after a 2.5-year battle with cancer. He was 86-years-old.

Paul was born in Torrington, WY, on September 21, 1935, to parents, Jessie “Marguerite” Higgs and Paul Burns Sr. Paul grew up on a farm in Wyoming with his younger brother, Raymond Burns, and his parents. After separating from Paul Sr., Paul’s mother, Marguerite, remarried to U.S. Navy serviceman Jerald Jones. Paul relocated to California in 1945 with his step-father, mother, and brother. Paul was 9-years-old when he first moved to California and frequently relocated during his childhood between Vallejo, CA, Bremerton, WA, and Kingsburg, CA, due to his step-father’s U.S. Navy service requirements. He permanently settled in San Diego, CA, in 1952.

Paul enrolled as a student at San Diego High School his senior year. As a student, Paul led the creation of a student communications club and started the first student ran radio station. Outside of high school, Paul and his friends enjoyed stock car racing and driving around the streets of San Diego in his 1932 yellow Ford Roadster. Paul also assisted with programming at his local radio station, and he led the red-eye radio show “the Night Train.” Despite having a love of radio broadcasting, Paul followed his love of aviation and aircraft and pursued jobs in aircraft engineering until he was laid off from Rohr Aircraft in 1954.

It was during this time that Paul enlisted in the U.S. Navy Reserves and U.S. Army Reserves (at the same time). And as a condition of his unemployment benefit, Paul applied to work at various organizations, including the San Diego newspaper publication The San Diego UnionTribune. Even though he had no prior experience working in newspaper publication, Paul accepted a position as a dispatch messenger in March of 1954. Paul discovered he enjoyed working for what he fondly referred to the publication as “the U-T.” He went on to make the advertising department at the U-T his passion project, where he held numerous positions for both the San Diego Union Tribune and Evening Tribune papers, including makeup and design. In 1989, Paul became make-up manager of display advertising. After a 43-year-long career at the U-T, Paul retired in 1997. Paul genuinely enjoyed being a part of the U-T family and made many friends over his career. Not only did U-T provide lifelong friends to Paul, but he also met his wife Norma Williamson when she worked for the U-T in June of 1956.

Paul married Norma in November 1957, and they moved to La Mesa, CA, to raise son Paul Burns and daughter Jeri Burns. Throughout the years of their marriage, Paul and Norma enjoyed entertaining and spending time with their friends. The two of them lead and attended various club gatherings, including square dancing groups and bowling at Parkway Bowl. Paul and Norma opened a novelty gift and costume store together called Fun N’ Folly, which traded out of Grossmont Center in La Mesa, CA, and later Santee Village Square in Santee, CA, during the 1980s, until the early 1990s.

Paul enjoyed his retirement in San Diego, always keeping busy. Between relaxing with his wife Norma and working on various home projects, Paul would regularly volunteer at Maryland

Avenue Elementary School and assisted his granddaughters to get perfect scores on their various school projects. In 2008, Paul and Norma relocated to Salem, OR for a lifestyle change and to be closer to their Oregon-based family. After spending nearly a decade living in Oregon, Paul lost Norma to cancer in October of 2016. After a 59-year-long wonderful marriage, Paul laid Norma to rest and returned to La Mesa to enjoy the rest of his time here in beautiful sunny San Diego County.

Paul was a husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who loved his family above everything else.

Paul is survived by daughter Jeri (Brad) Eck, La Mesa, CA, son Paul (Breanna) Burns, Tualatin, OR. Granddaughters: Nicole (Zane) Curtis, La Jolla CA, Jennifer Conlon, Waikato New Zealand, Chelsea Burns, Tualatin OR, Kristy Alvarado, La Mesa CA, Grandson, Josh Hickey, Tualatin, OR and four greatgranddaughters: Isla, Zoe, and Naomi Curtis, La Jolla and Mya Alvarado, La Mesa.

Services will be held at El Camino Memorial Park, 5600 Carroll Canyon Road, San Diego, CA, on May 20, 2022, at 1230pm.

In lieu of flowers, Paul requests donations be made to American Cancer Society.