James T. Burns ,

James Thomas Burns Sr., age 86 of Middlebury, the beloved husband of 58 years to Jean Galog Burns, entered into eternal rest on Wednesday May 29, 2013 at Waterbury Hospital, surrounded by his loving family. Jim was born in Bridgeport Hospital, on June 23, 1926 the son of the late Joseph and Mary Warrek Burns. He was a devout communicant of St. Thomas the Apostle Church of Oxford. Jim was a U.S. Army veteran having served in WWII with the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion. He was a graduate of Fairfield Preparatory School and Fairfield University, where he received a bachelor's degree in Mathematics. He loved to read, play basketball and baseball and was an avid golfer. Jim enjoyed woodworking, gardening and was known for his whistling. He will be sadly missed by his family and many friends. His loving family includes his beloved wife Jean, his devoted sons Jack M. Burns (Debbie) of Weston, Dan J. Burns (Susan) of Stratford, Jim T. Burns Jr. of San Diego, Ca., and his caring daughters Kathy M. Burns (Kathy) of Lindenhurst, NY, Carol A. Raffel (Michael) of Cambridge, NY, Nancy J. Moley (Kevin) of Coram, NY, two beloved brothers J. Vincent Burns , Robert J. Burns (Eugenia) all of Bridgeport, a loving sister Mildred Bishop (Howard) of Trumbull, a loving sister-in-law Maryhelen O'Neill of Norwalk, eleven cherished grandchildren , two cherished great-grandchildren, many caring nieces and nephews and extended "family" in Black Rock and the Chicago, IL communities. Jim was predeceased by his brother Bill and sister Rita. Jim had an outstanding athletic career at Fairfield Prep and later at Fairfield University, excelling in baseball, basketball and track. The early years of Jim's successful business career were spent with Remington; splitting time between their Norwalk, CT, New York and Chicago operations. In 1964 he moved his family from Fairfield, CT to Setauket (Long Island), NY for a systems operations management position with Airborne Instruments Laboratory (AIL) in Deer Park. The final 3 decades of Jim's career were spent on Wall Street. His systems and operational expertise were instrumental in the development and enhancement of the back-office accounting and regulatory systems used by global trading organizations during the fledgling growth boom of commodity futures, options, foreign exchange and derivatives in the 1970's through the 1990's. Jim's strong work ethic and concern brought respect and life-long friendships from his industry colleagues. He retired in 1999 and has resided in Middlebury with Jean since 1996. We have all been touched by Jim's devoted love and genuine caring nature. But it was Jim who always said he felt more blessed meeting others in his life. A funeral service in celebration of Jim's life will be held on Monday at 9:00 a.m. at the Miller-Ward Funeral Home, 260 Bank St. Seymour with a Mass of Christian Burial to follow at 10:00 a.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 733 Oxford Rd. Oxford CT. Full Military honors will be accorded following the Mass. Interment will be private and at the convenience of the family. Friends and relatives may call at the funeral home on Sunday from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please make all donations in memory of Jim to: The Wounded Warrior Project at http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org. To light a virtual candle or to leave online condolences, please visit www.millerwardfuneralhome.com .