Dorothy Irene Burns age 89 of Royal Oak Mich. died Sunday January 9 2011 at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus Ohio. She was born on the Red River at Selkirk Manitoba Canada July 24 1921; she was the only daughter of Charles and Christina Bell (Peers) Gibson. The family moved to Detroit when Irene was a young girl her father taking a job with the Detroit Street Railways. After high school Irene went to work at Michigan Bell Telephone Company where she met her husband Douglas Denton Burns. They were married in Detroit May 26 1944. Doug and Irene moved to Oliver Road in Royal Oak with their three sons in September of 1955. They remained in their home nearly 55 years until Irene suffered a heart attack April 4 2010. Irene was proud of her Canadian heritage and she and Doug (also born in Canada) and the kids spent every summer at the family cottage on Cedar Island on Lake Erie near Kingsville Ontario. Her work for the Royal Oak school system afforded her those summers at the cottage with the kids and she thoroughly enjoyed them. Irene retired from Royal Oak Schools in 1982 where she had been a secretary at Kimball High School. She made many close friends while at Kimball from students to administrators to teachers and fellow secretaries. She is survived by her husband Doug; sons Doug Jr. of Columbus Ohio John (Cheri) of Des Moines Iowa and Dick of Traverse City Mich. Also surviving is her oldest brother Charles Gordon Gibson of Rochester Hills Mich. and one sister-in-law Nancy Gibson of Palm Harbor Fla. Irene always enjoyed the company and love of her five grandchildren; Jennifer (Brad) Kovach and Abigail Burns of Columbus Jonathan and Alison Burns of Des Moines and Jody Burns of Traverse City. One great-grandchild Joseph Kovach of Columbus also survives her. She was preceded in death by three brothers Bob Roy and Doug and three sisters-in-law Ethel Gibson Elaine Gibson and Marion (Burns) Bennett Webster. Cremation has taken place. A memorial service is planned for this spring in the Royal Oak area with the date and place to be announced later.
Published in Daily Tribune on January 16 2011.
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