William Horace "Pete" Burns

February 18, 1933 – April 29, 2026

William Horace Burns, known to everyone who loved him as "Pete”, passed away peacefully on April 29, 2026, at the age of 93. A man of quiet strength and deep devotion, Pete lived a life measured not in years, but in the loyalty, he showed his family, and the work he put into everything he touched.

The nickname came early. His aunt took one look at the boy and called him "Little Petie," and the name stuck for nine decades, a small story that says everything about the kind of man he'd become: someone people claimed as their own.

Early Life

Pete was born on February 18, 1933, in Sykesville, Maryland, to Alvin Washington Burns and Lucy Elizabeth Casey Burns. He grew up in the rhythms of small-town Maryland life, rooted in faith, family, and community. He graduated from Sykesville High School in 1953, and before the ink was dry on that diploma, his country called.

Military Service

Pete was drafted three days after his HS graduation in the United States Army and served as a Private First Class from 1953 to 1955 during the Korean War era, serving honorably as an Ambulance Driver. In the quiet moments between duty, Pete found a way to play music. He'd pick up his violin and play with a group of fellow soldiers while stationed in Japan, bringing a little piece of home to men far from theirs.

A Life's Work

After his service, Pete returned to Maryland and built a career as an electrician, a craftsman who took pride in doing things right. He went on to serve as Electrician Supervisor at Fort Howard Veterans Hospital for twenty years, spending two decades keeping the lights on for the very veterans he had served alongside, a fitting chapter for a man who never stopped showing up for others. He retired from Fort Howard, leaving behind a legacy of quiet, dependable excellence.

The Man at Home

But ask anyone in the family what defined Pete, and they won't mention the job first. They'll tell you about how he moved dirt, literally. Pete loved nothing more than a home improvement project, a yard to reshape, or a problem to solve with his hands. He had a gift for genealogy and spent years carefully stitching together the threads of his family's history, a gift he left behind for generations to discover.

He was a man of faith, a lifelong Methodist, and he put that faith into action as a devoted cemetery caretaker at Bethesda United Methodist Church in Sykesville, tending the grounds where community memory is kept, with the same care he brought to everything.

"I'll buy that... nah!" was his signature in later years, getting its fullest workout on Friday nights around the card table, where family and friends played Shanghai. That line became as much a part of the game as the cards themselves. Those who sat across from him knew that those words were coming.

Pete met the love of his life, Evelyn Linton, right where it all began, at church. They married and over the next seventy years built a life, a family, and a partnership that became the center of gravity for everyone around them. For many of those years, home was Sykesville, Maryland, where they raised their family and put down deep roots. In 2017, Pete and Evelyn made Port Orange, Florida their full-time home, trading Maryland winters for the warmth of the South, though Sykesville never left their hearts, and they never really left its people.

Seventy years of marriage. That is not a number. That is a testament.

Together, Pete and Evelyn raised three children: their daughter Beverly Burns of Sykesville, MD; their son Duane Burns and daughter-in-law Mary Jane Burns of Kernersville, NC; and their daughter Dyana Conway and son-in-law Mike Conway of Boca Raton, FL.

Pete's family grew to include seven grandchildren, Ryan Burns, Lynn Burns, Dustin Burns, Selina Miller, Garrett Miller, Emma Conway, and Sarah Conway, and two great-grandchildren, Greyson and Jayce, who will carry the best of him forward into a future he helped build.

Preceded in Death

Pete was preceded in death by his parents, Alvin Washington Burns and Lucy Elizabeth Casey Burns; his brother, Alvin Washington Burns Jr.; and his sister, Elva Mae Weddell.

Services

The family will hold a Celebration of Life on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at 2:00 PM at First Baptist Church of Harbor Oaks, Port Orange, Florida.

A Funeral Service will be held in Maryland on Friday, May 22, 2026, with visitation beginning at 10:00 AM and the service at 11:00 AM, at Bethesda United Methodist Church, Sykesville, Maryland.

Pete will be laid to rest with full military honors at Evergreen Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Finksburg, Maryland, immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family request donation to the Bethesda United Methodist Church Cemetery, Sykesville, Maryland.

"Little Petie" wasn't so little after all. He was, by every measure, a great man, great in his loyalty, great in his love, and great in the quiet, steady way he showed up for every person lucky enough to share a life with him. He is not gone. He is in the music.