William Milton Burns

William Burns Obituary

Burns, William Milton: age 82 of Bloomfield Hills, MI, passed away peacefully on December 14, 2025.

Bill was born on July 13, 1943 in Charleston, S.C. to Robert and Eleanor Henrikson Burns. He graduated from Charleston High School in 1961, as class president and was voted ""Best Personality"" and ""Best All Around."" After high school, Bill joined the Air Force, spending time in Thule, Greenland and Labrador, Canada, before graduating from Clemson University with a B.S.E.E. in 1970. His work took him to Baltimore, Maryland where he met and married Jean, his beloved wife of 50 years. They later relocated to Michigan, much to the bewilderment of his southern friends and family.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his three children, Bonnie (Szabolcs), Mary Beth and Robert, and four grandsons, Adam, Andrew, Luke and Erik. He was preceded in death by his parents and two older brothers, Bob, of Lexington, N.C. and Marshall, of Charleston S.C.

Bill never missed his children's band concerts or soccer games. He entertained them with stories of growing up in downtown Charleston and his time spent on Folly Beach. He sang old songs on car trips in response to the repeated query of ""Dad, are we there yet?"" An avid gardener and birdwatcher, he also found wonder in the night sky, effortlessly connecting the dots between stars and sharing his knowledge of constellations. He loved ice cream, lemon meringue pie, nuts (especially boiled peanuts), Pepsi, Buddy Holly music and Clemson football. Bill gave sound and thoughtful advice and could always be relied upon by his family. He loved being a ""Pop-pop"" to his grandsons and always complimented Jean's cooking with ""well, that hit the spot!""

He will be forever loved and missed.

Family will gather at a later date for scattering of ashes on Folly Beach, S.C.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Charleston Post & Courier on Dec. 24, 2025.

Memories and Condolences
for William Burns

1 Entry

Bruce Green

February 1, 2026

It´s with a heavy heart to hear of Bill´s passing. My thoughts and prayers go out to all in your family.

I was fortunate to have known Bill on both a professional and personal level.

At the beginning of my career I would not have anticipated that Bill, as a boss, would eventually stand out from his successors in so many ways. Bill proved himself as a good teacher who was always patient and would trust you to take on new challenges and inspire growing confidence within fledgling engineers. He openly celebrated your successes and yet would not hold it against you when you inevitably made a mis-step. Probably the thing I remember best about Bill was how practical he could be and how receptive he was to new ideas and alternate solutions. As an engineer, even though you faced a hurdle that caused your confidence to slip, you knew he always "had your back".

On a more personal level, I can never forget the earliest days of working from Bill´s home office... aka the basement or "Bat Cave". While working through the daily pressures of a startup company as a newbie engineer, little Mary Beth and Robert would occasionally provide a much welcomed and JOYFUL distraction from the workday stress. Their "artwork" too was comforting and made the environment feel a bit less intimidating. You knew the pride and love Bill had for his family. And I was treated on more than one occasion to lunch at the kitchen table... including Jean´s chili about which Bill was not afraid to boast! Besides his devotion to family, I found Bill to be kind and respectful to others as well. We last chatted on LinkedIn a couple years back, and it was obvious he remained dedicated not only to being a provider but continued to gush over Jean and the "kids".

To your family, I say thank you for letting me get to know you all just a little bit, and I am deeply sorry for your loss.

To Bill, I simply say: "Bueno!"