Lee Burns

We invite you to join us for a Celebration of Life honoring Lee Burns on October 11th at SunSeekers Boating Club in Gibraltar, Michigan, from 1–5 p.m ET. Come as you are, share a story, raise a glass, and celebrate Lee the way he would’ve wanted, surrounded by good food, music, and the people he loved and who loved him. To help us make sure we have enough for everyone, please click “Going” if you’ll be attending. Thank you so much!

Lee Nelson Burns was born on December 9, 1955 and passed away on September 3, 2025. He was kind-hearted, generous, and always the first to lend a hand. Lee was unapologetically himself, he spoke his mind (sometimes whether you wanted to hear it or not), and he loved with his whole heart. If you were one of his people, you never had to wonder, you knew it.

Lee was raised in Westland, Michigan, and later moved to Brownstown, Michigan, where he built a home and raised his family. After 42 years of hard work at General Motors, he retired to Tennessee, where he finally got to live life exactly how he wanted.

His happy place was always behind the grill or smoker, perfecting his ribs or BBQ chicken. Neighbors knew him for showing up with one of his famous beer-can chickens, just because. He loved hot rods, trains, and music that spanned everything from Joe Diffie to Pink Floyd to Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica.

You could usually find him with his dog, Floyd, by his side, or floating in the pool with Dawn, tossing bags in a game of cornhole, watching football or having a couple of beers in his garage or on the back porch. He was known for random phone calls just to chat and sending out texts with pictures of whatever he was grilling that day, or something wildly inappropriate. He had a collection of T-shirts that gave everyone a glimpse of his personality, usually bold, often outrageous, and always full of character.

Lee is survived by his wife, Dawn Burns, his daughter, Alisha Donaldson, her husband, Spencer, and granddaughter, Dre, his stepson, Jason Hiveley, his wife, Tammy, and grandchildren, Brooke, Jacob, Ethan, and Avah, his brother, Charles Burns, his mother-in-law, Sandra Huddleston, and father-in-law, Edward Hiveley. He was preceded in death by his parents, James Lester Burns and Wilma Sue Burns, as well as his father-in-law, William “Henry” Huddleston.

Lee leaves behind a legacy of love and laughter that will never fade. His presence was a gift, and he will be deeply, deeply missed by all who had the honor of knowing him.