William Robert Burns, 25, was killed during the D-Day invasion on June 8, 1944.
A native of Evergreen, Burns was born April 9, 1919, in Great Falls, Montana.
On April 14, 1942, Burns enlisted in the Navy in Raleigh. Upon enlisting, Burns served aboard the USS Glennon, a Greaves-class destroyer assigned to Operation Neptune, the naval component of the Allied landings on D-Day.
Burns was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with a bronze campaign star, and the World War II Victory Medal.
Almost 81 years following his death, Burn’s funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, May 9, 2026 at Chadbourn Memorial Cemetery, with full military honors, under the direction of Worthington Funeral Home.
Surviving family includes his nephews and nieces, Harold Covington, Sylvia Scott, Faye Myers, and Carol Ellington; 11 great nieces and nephews; 22 great-great nieces and nephews; 16 great-great-great nieces and nephews.
Worthington Funeral Home is serving the family.
