Marberry Ross (M R) Burnes, Jr.

Marberry Ross (M R) Burnes, Jr., 72, passed away at 1:01 p.m.., Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at Ozarks Healthcare.

He was born on November 5, 1952, to Marberry Ross Burnes and Barbara Rosa (Rehacek) Burnes in Columbus, Georgia. He was the second oldest child of seven children born to this union. The oldest child, Barbara Gene, was stillborn, so he was actually considered the oldest child.

At around age eleven, the family settled down in West Plains, Missouri, where his father raised six children. M R, being the oldest, was the spoiled one. He loved to play and was good at it. He gained a passion for baseball (destroying the family home in the process). He started pitching at a young age and earned a full four-year scholarship to University of Hawaii. While playing for Hawaii, he pitched a shutout no-hitter against the team from Tokyo. On his second year of playing, he hurt his shoulder and returned home to West Plains.

He then joined the United States Army and went through Jump School at Fort Benning, Georgia. After Jump School, he was stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska. After leaving the military, he decided to stay in Alaska. He then started a job in the post office where he worked for two years. While working at the Post Office, he talked his younger brother into joining him there. There, he showed his brother how to survive in the cold. They both enjoyed their time together there and learned how to depend on each other and made a lot of good memories.

M R then moved back to West Plains where he was able to buy the family farm.  He met his wife, Julie (Tucker), and got married May 8, 1987. They had two daughters, Summer (Burnes), born November 15, 1997, and Melissa (Burnes), born July 27, 2001. His grandson, Bellamy Joseph Rowlett, was born September 8, 2022.

He loved fishing, hunting, watching the Kansas City Chiefs, history, storytelling, baseball, and being out on his boat, among other things. He was of the Christian faith and loved telling others about Jesus.

He leaves behind his loving wife, Julie (Tucker) Burnes; daughter, Summer (Burnes) Surface; son-in-law, Logan Surface; daughter Melissa (Burnes) Rowlett, son-in-law, Johnathan Rowlett; grandson, Bellamy Joseph Rowlett; sisters, Margaret Viola (known as Missy) Magnes of Knoxville, Tennessee, Stella Altman of Gassville, Arkansas, Jamie (Eugene) Shatswell of Carthage, Missouri, Bernice Kathleen (known as Kathy) (Bob) Woods and Rocky (Kim) Burnes of Lampe, Missouri; and a host of nephews and nieces.

M R was preceded in death by his infant sister, Barbara Gene Burnes, his mother, Barbara, father, Marberry Ross Sr., and loving Aunt Bernice and Uncle Howard Heier.

Arrangements under the direction of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home.