Horace Freeman (Jeremy) Burr

  General Notes:

Horace F. Burr Obituary which ran in the Ashland, Ohio and Bridgton, Main newspapers on May 31st, 2012.

Horace Freeman "Jeremy" Burr, 92, of Ashland, Ohio, passed away Tues. afternoon, May 22, 2012 at Brethren Care Village following a lengthy illness.

Jeremy was born Oct. 25, 1919, in Augusta, Maine. He was the fifth and last child born to Freeman Foster Burr and Louis Southwick Ives Burr. Jeremy graduated from Colby College, Waterville, in June 1940.

Jeremy served on active duty in the U.S. Naval Reserve during two periods: World War II: September, 1941 to March 1945; at sea on the USS Indiana, Lake Champlain and Norris; called back to duty during the Korean War, where he served ashore as Patomac River Naval Command, and as a Training Officer and Special Asst. to the Chief of Naval Research, Naval Reserve. He served on active duty in ranks of Ensign through Commander; and was selected Captain on his retirement.

Jeremy's civilian life included Scoville Mfg. Co., Waterbury, Conn.; General Motors Milwaukee, Wisc. and Warren, Mich. Upon early retirement from GM he returned to government employment as a civilian, as Contract Officer, first in Warren, Mich. and finally with the U.S. Navy at Sperry Corporation in Great Neck, N.Y.

During a training session at Wright Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, in April of 1980, Jeremy rode his bike 35 miles to visit Aullwood Audubon Center near Dayton, where he met Marian Richmond Nixon, a volunteer for Aullwood's Spring Open House. Jeremy and Marian were married at Aullwood on Sept. 6, 1980. They settled in Manhattan, New York City, where they lived until retirement in Dec. 1984. They then moved to Bridgton, in the Lake Region of southern Maine. There they lived life to the fullest in a little green cottage at "Knight's Hill" on Moose Pond, where they canoed, cross-country skied, watched and identified birds and climbed nearby Shawnee Peak at Pleasant Mtn. All of this was not new to Jeremy; he had climbed Kilamanjaro in Africa in early 1980 with his sister, Jean Burr Smith and family! Growing up in Maine, Jeremy was an avid skier, as well as experienced canoeist. He and his family climbed Mt. Katahdin, in Maine, for many summers of his life. Jeremy just lived to be outdoors.

Jeremy and Marian joined the Elderhostel group and enjoyed many trips in the United States, including Alaska, and to England, Ireland, and Scotland, birding and learning. Then in December of 1992 they moved to Ashland, Ohio, where winters were a bit milder.

Jeremy was a member of Christ United Methodist Church where he was active with the Missions Committee, and he also became a trained Stephens Minister. He served as a volunteer for Hospice for a number of years.

Midway through life, Jeremy became a poet - it was at this time that he took the name of "Jeremy" - from then on writing poetry, setting words to music which he played on his guitar - and being called "Jeremy" became a permanent part of his life!

Jeremy is survived by his loving wife, Marian; by his four children from a previous marriage: Christopher P. Burr (Dale), retired United Church of Christ Minister, Lexington, N.C.; Stephen I. Burr (JD) (Taryn), Boston, Mass.; Emily J. Burr Croxall (Ian), Salem, Ore.; and Jennifer S. Burr, Research Librarian, Rochester, N.Y.; two stepchildren: Thomas L. Nixon, Penngrove, Calif.; and Pamela Nixon Coller (Mark), Irving, Tex.; Eleven dear grandchildren; and seven precious great-grandchildren. He is also survived by many dear nieces and nephews, most in Maine, and one great-great-niece in Ohio. Sandy Burr Bartter (Wayne) and their children Becky, Jenny and Alex.

Jeremy was preceded in death by his parents; brothers: Richard S. Burr and Foster I. Burr; sisters: Barbara Burr Flynt and Jean Burr Smith, all of Maine.

Memorial services will be held on Friday, June 8, 2012 at 11 a.m. at the Christ United Methodist Church in Ashland, Ohio with the Rev. James Cox officiating. Friends may visit with the family following the memorial service at the church. Burial will be in the Synagogue Cemetery. The family suggests that memorial contributions may be made to Christ United Methodist Church, 1140 Claremont Ave., Ashland, OH 44805 or to Hospice of North Central Ohio Inc., 1050 Dauch Dr., Ashland, OH 44805. For those not able to attend, online expressions of sympathy, or to light a candle, may be done using the funeral home website: www.dpkfh.com.

Jeremy was truly a gentleman in every sense of the word and a man for all seasons.

Horace married Marian Lucille Richmond, daughter of Charles Sylvester Richmond and Sylvia Rhea Bryan, on 6 Sep 1980 in Dayton, Ohio. (Marian Lucille Richmond was born on 26 Nov 1920 in Akron, Ohio and died on 5 Sep 2016 in Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio.)