Bruce A. Burns, 68, of Anthem, Ariz. and formerly of Freeland, died suddenly on Sept. 11, 2010 on board a commercial airliner en-route to Seoul, South Korea.

He was born on April 25, 1942 in Newark, N.J. and raised in the Maplewood, N.J. community. He married Darlene K. Morningstar in College Park, Ga. in 1972.

He graduated from high school and later served in the Army National Guard of New Jersey. He graduated from the National Aviation Academy, St. Petersburg, Fla. in 1967.

He began his aviation career in the 1960s as a flight instructor and became a corporate pilot for Jet America, Jet Atlanta and Fuqua Industries. He flew for Air Cal in California, and then flew for American Airlines until his retirement in 2002. He continued his love of aviation by flying part-time for Global Aircraft Services.

He is survived by his loving wife, Darlene Burns of Anthem, Ariz.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Marion Burns, and his brother, Gordon.

He will be forever remembered by his wife, along with countless other friends and family who were blessed to know him. He loved flying, playing his guitars, riding his motorcycles, his dogs, his birds, anything related to racing, laughing and being with his family. He touched the lives of many people with his smile and generosity.

Friends and family are invited to attend a memorial reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1 at the Ironwood Clubhouse, Anthem Golf & Country Club, Anthem, Ariz.

In lieu of flowers, his wife requests all donations be sent to the wonderful people at Hospice of the Valley, 1510 E Flower St. Phoenix, AZ 85014 (www.hov.org).