Beulah M. Burns

Beulah was born on October 6, 1919 to Paul and Edna Smith in Des Moines, Iowa. Paul (Beulah’s dad) contracted tuberculosis during WWI. After Paul contracted tuberculosis the family moved to Aurora Colorado, to be near Fitzsimons Army Hospital for his health. At the age of nine Beulah’s father passed away. This was a great loss for her. Edna (Beulah’s mom) decided to stay in Colorado because of her asthma. The weather in Colorado made her feel better. Beulah graduated from South High School in 1939. She worked for the Rio Grande Railroad, during WWII. This was a job that she dearly loved and talked about for the rest of her life. Using a railroad pass she traveled throughout the mountains in Colorado, sometimes even traveling on narrow gauge trains and on the Galloping Goose. In 1944 Beulah’s Sorority hosted a New Year’s Eve party for soldiers, at Fitzsimons Army Hospital, which ended at 9 o’clock. Even though it ended early Bob Burns started to wander into the party. Bob saw that it was filled with people so he started to turn around. A nurse spotted him, and took him over to Beulah. The nurse asked her for name and formally introduced the two. This started a long and loving relationship. In June of 1948, they were married in Cody, Wyoming. They soon moved to Sunlight Basin, Wyoming. They lived in a one room cabin with a sod roof where Beulah cooked their meals on a wood stove for that first summer through the fall. The couple then returned to Denver where they spent the rest of their living years. Saving every penny to buy 1½ acres in Arvada to build a home and raise a family. The two of them worked together, never borrowing money, but rather buying materials paycheck to paycheck. Bob and Beulah were blessed with 2 kids, a daughter, Peggy Jean in 1952 and a son Paul James in 1957. Bob always grew a wonderful large garden and Beulah canned gallons of produce from this garden. Bob and Beulah loved to travel, they went to Australia four times, also visiting New Guinea, New Zealand, the Philippines and Fiji. They also visited England and Norway. Beulah lost Bob in 2007 after 59 years of a wonderful marriage. Beulah continued to enjoy her family of three grandchildren, two step grandchildren, and her eight great-grandchildren. She was an avid reader often reading one book a day. She stayed in the home she and Bob built until after her 99th birthday. She spent her last two months in her son and daughter-in-law’s home. Although she has passed her legacy will continue to grow through her children and grandchildren. She will be dearly missed.