Thomas Kenton Burns

Thomas Kenton Burns, 52, passed away May 29, 2014 in Columbus. 

He was born Jan. 3, 1962 at Highland District Hospital to Lawrence E. Burns, Sr. and the late Susan Eileen (Burns) Lowell.

Tom had been a long-time resident of Highland County until the last few years. Tom was a "born car salesman," and had experienced a good bit of success in his chosen profession.

Tom went from working with Jerry Haag Motors of Hillsboro to owning and operating his own car lot in Hillsboro known as Northview Motors, where he also experienced tremendous success. Tom then launched out into another business venture which included owning and renting out self-storage units in New Market. Several years ago, Tom made Columbus his home, where he was a car salesman at Great Western Motors on West Broad Street, working with his father. Tom was in the process of beginning his own car lot with a business partner, Louis, in Columbus, prior to his untimely death. Tom had bright hopes for the future of running another successful car business, but his dreams were shattered at the hand of another. Tom found happiness in his new-found independence, having just moved into an apartment, and he was anxiously looking forward to starting his car lot and doing what he enjoyed most-selling cars, successfully.

Tom was preceded in death by his mother, Susan Eileen (Burns) Lowell; his sister, Sandra Sue Burns; his maternal grandparents, Mildred and Sanford Haigh; and paternal grandparents, Ralph and Gladys Burns.

Survivors include: father, Lawrence Edward Burns, Sr. (Janet) of Columbus; three sons, Casey of Leesburg, James and Levi of Georgetown. Tom’s surviving siblings include: Lawrence E. Burns, Jr. (Susie) of Hillsboro, and Cindy (Burns) Seip of Frankfort, Ky.; step-family, Abby (Dalton) Warchal (John), and Dennis Burns, all of Columbus. Tom is also survived by his maternal aunt, Martha L. Haigh of Hillsboro; paternal aunt, Connie Butts of Florida, as well as several nieces and nephews.

Services will be 1 p.m. Saturday, June 7 at the Rhoads-Edgington Funeral Home with pastor John Porter officiating. Burial will follow in the Sugartree Ridge Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home on Saturday from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.

The family requests memorials be directed to the Little Lamb Pre-School, c/o the Hillsboro Church of Christ in Tom's memory.

For more information and to access the online registry, visit www.edgingtonfuneralhomes.com.