Ross Burns

Ross Jameson (Jim) Burns of Taos, NM, passed away peacefully at home on November 5, 2022 after living with Parkinson’s for a decade. His wife, Mary, was by his side. A fun, generous and loving husband, father and grandfather, he was also known for his dry humor and quick wit. He was making his family laugh until his final days. 

Jim was born October 21, 1935 in Sandusky, OH, to Ross and Connie Burns.

His father's job took the family to the Chicago suburbs and to the East San Francisco Bay area where Jim attended high school and the University of California at Berkeley. After graduating in early 1958, he headed to Europe where he scooped ice cream at the World’s Fair in Brussels, studied Spanish in Madrid and set a world record for the half-mile (undocumented) running with the bulls in Pamplona.

On his return to the States, he settled in Milwaukee where his family had moved a few years previously. He worked in the international sales department of a manufacturer of construction equipment. Sales trips took him to Nigeria, Kenya, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Africa. When that department was eliminated, Jim changed careers becoming a corporate bond specialist.

In 1960, he met Mary Hamilton on a blind date. The two married in 1961 and had two children. They celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary last August.

Jim was a natural athlete. In high school, he was one half of the Touch Down Twins and hoped to play in college football until he was sidelined by a knee injury. He also played several racquet sports. But his true passions were skiing and golf.

It was a ski trip that first brought him and Mary to Taos in 1975. They left enchanted and determined to one day make the town their home. That day didn’t arrive for 11 years, but having a condo in the ski valley meant many vacations were spent here. As a full-time resident, Jim was able to fulfill his dream of becoming a ski instructor—the corporate world never truly appealed to him—and had that job for 26 seasons. 

He was a charter member of the Taos Country Club where he played several times a week. He loved the spring when he could ski in the morning and play golf in the afternoon. He also took trips with his golfing buddies to play some of the great courses in Scotland, Ireland and Portugal.

He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Taos School of Music and served on its board for 25 years, and was an early board member of the Taos Land Trust.

Jim loved to travel. He went on hiking trips in Switzerland and the Pyrenees and with Mary and his children traveled to Europe, Asia and Africa. But he and Mary always returned to the town they loved.

Jim is survived by Mary, daughter Elizabeth (Andrew Cox), son Ross (Natividad), grandchildren Oscar (Ophelie), Victor and Angelina, great granddaughters Camille and Pauline, and "bonus" grandchildren Dylan and Ryan Cox. He is also survived by sisters Elisabeth Leyson and Susanne Grossmann, sister-in-law Barbara Hirschfeld, brother-in-law Douglas Hamilton (Judy) and well-loved nieces, nephews and many friends. He is preceded in death by his brother, Timothy.

A memorial will be held in early summer.

If you would like to make a donation in Jim’s memory please consider the following organizations: Taos School of Music (taosschoolofmusic.com); Mountain Home Health (mtnhomehealth.com)

Arrangements by Rivera Family Funeral Home. To share a memory, please visit our website at www.riverafuneralhome.com