Arnold, CA…Ronald David Burns, Arnold, CA, age 84, died of a heart attack on Saturday, December 23, 2017. Ron was born on August 11, 1933 at Jefferson Hospital in Los Angeles, CA. He was the only child of, Norbert P. Burns (Paddy), originally from Pennsylvania, and Olive Anderson Burns, originally from Oklahoma . His son, Paul Norbert Burns, (62) and daughter-in-law, Lynn V. Burns of San Jose, CA, were with him as he passed away. He is survived by his son, Michael Scott Burns (64) of Ocean Springs, Mississippi and two grandsons, Christopher Patrick Burns, also from Ocean Springs, and Andrew Ian Burns from White House, Tennessee. Still friends with his ex-wives, Gwen, who lives in Coos Bay, Oregon and Maureen from Palm Desert, CA.

Ron retired to the home he loved in Arnold, appropriately named Serenity Cedars, in August 2003. An original do-it-yourselfer and woodworker, Ron took on the challenge of making his little A-frame house, his castle. After adding a garage with customized workshop, he completed many built-ins and upgrades to his home, including stained glass windows in his front door and kitchen cabinets.

Prior to retirement, Ron had multiple careers. As a very young man, he was a fireman on steam trains of the Union Pacific Railroad, which ran the length of California. When steam gave way to motorized trains, Ron started his career in law enforcement, becoming a Monterey policeman, while living in Seaside.

During his time on the Monterey Police Department, Ron was known for his sharp-shooting ability and loved to tell stories about using bullets as earplugs while on the range. He was also a motorcycle enthusiast and, in addition to being a motorcycle cop, had numerous motorcycles of his own. He and Paul spent long hours riding and camping throughout California visiting and writing the history of old jails for his masters thesis. He also loved to travel and combined numerous trips throughout Europe, including Russia, with visiting and gathering information about jails in those countries. Talk about combining things you love into your work! He retired from the Monterey PD as a Lieutenant.

His love of teaching took him to his final career as a law-enforcement instructor at the Regional Criminal Justice Training Center at Modesto Junior College. When he retired from teaching and moved to Arnold, his students gave him a Malamute puppy that he named Tracer. This started his love affair with dogs, as many of his neighbors in Arnold know. His family hopes that Ron is back romping around with his dogs in his new and perfect Serenity Cedars.