Funeral services for Earl Burns, age 89, of Mobridge will be at 2PM, Friday, March 7, 2014 at the Zion Lutheran Evangelical Church in Mobridge. Burial will be at Greenwood Cemetery under the direction of Kesling Funeral Home of Mobridge. Visitation will be from 2-6 PM Thursday at the funeral home. Earl passed away Saturday, March 1, 2014 at his home in Mobridge.

Earl Clifford Burns was born June 29, 1924 to John and Ella (Evans-Barnes) Burns on his parents homestead 20 miles south of Morristown. In the late 1920's his family moved to Minnesota, where he attended a country school and Granite Falls High School. They moved back to South Dakota in 1940. Earl was drafted into the Air Force in 1943 and when the war was ended, they asked the guys if they wanted to stay with promotion or go home, Earl chose to go home. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

Earl worked for Buckingham Lumber in Rapid City, hauling lumber all over the U.S. for several years. In 1951 he bought his own semi and hauled lumber and hay to Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Montana. One winter he hauled hay to Rapid City for the government, they loaded it into box cars, whole train loads went to Texas as they were in a drought and their cattle were starving.

In 1954 Earl came back to the Isabel-Lemmon area. In 1956 he met Shirley Schlomer, he was the love of her life and they were married March 10, 1956. Shirley helped him haul hay until Machelle came along in 1963 and John Carl in 1965. In 1966 they moved out to Leo Schirber farm by the Missouri bridge. They farmed and raised cattle until Earl got involved in the new museum in 1974 with Jake Klein. They continued to farm and Earl and Shirley ran the museum until 1983 when they purchased Bridge City Florist. They moved into town and Earl went to work for Walworth County Highway Department, he was there for 24 years. On weekend and holidays he delivered flowers for Shirley.

In 1984 Earl and John Carl went to Denver and received a degree in Floral Design where both of them were in the top of there class.

Earl is survived by his wife of almost 58 years, Shirley, his daughter Machelle (Gary) Dierkson of Sioux Falls, his granddaughter Kayla, step granddaughter Kelly, great grandchildren Savannah, Allie and Trevor, mother-in-law Bessie Schlomer, and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his son; John Carl, infant brother Murphy, brother George, sisters; Myrtle Eggebraaten, Edna Fagen and Hazel Berends, 3 brother in laws, a niece Barb and nephew, Kenny.