George “Lynn” Burris, 74, of Radford, passed away at his home with his family by his side and his cat on his lap, on Wednesday, Mar. 26, 2025. He was a dedicated member of Fairlawn Presbyterian Church since he was two years old. Lynn was preceded in death by his parents, Jean and Will “Wingo” Burris, and his canine companion, Chase.
Lynn prized education and received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Radford University. He loved his family and his beloved cats and dogs more than anything else in the world, except for maybe a cold margarita (or a warm margarita, for that matter). Lynn married the love of his life, Dianne Wright, in 1984, and they celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in 2024. He loved to fish, garden, balk at the news, and drink Irish car bombs, all while wearing his favorite apparel, a Hawaiian shirt.
Lynn spent years serving the Radford City Schools as a member of the school board and could always be found taking the recycling for the Bobcat Backpack program on pack nights. He gave away his time freely to those who needed it – as a volunteer for CASA, Beans and Rice, and numerous other charitable organizations and events. Lynn was a light to everyone who was lucky enough to know him and those even luckier to be on his infamous beverage delivery route. He will be missed deeply by his family and friends.
Survivors include his wife, Dianne Burris; his children and their spouses, Kevin Burris (Ruth), Jonathan Burris, and Dr. Kathleen Burris and Dr. Jason Fowlkes; grandchildren, Sydney Smith (Lane), Spencer, Frazier, Luke and Gabriel Burris, Ellie, Jacob, Adam and Abigail Fowlkes; special family friends, Nichole Leeson and Hailey Dalton; and numerous other family members and friends.
The family would like to thank the entire community for all the love and kindness they have shown in the last year and a half, whether that was bringing food to the house, calling Lynn to check in, stopping by for a visit, or bringing in the trash cans on trash day. It has been a true blessing to see the love and caring that Lynn inspired in others.
Everyone who knew Lynn is asked to celebrate his life in their own way, but raising a glass of their favorite pick-me-up would be most appropriate. A celebration of his life was held Sunday, Mar. 30, 2025, at the Fairlawn Presbyterian Church in Fairlawn.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donation be made in his name to the Radford Animal Shelter or a tribute gift in Lynn’s name to the Parkinson’s Foundation. https://www.parkinson.org
The Burris family is in the care of Mullins Funeral Home & Crematory in Radford.
