Burrows, Donald 'Don' John

Donald “Don” John Burrows, Cedar Rapids, died Sunday evening, Jan. 8, 2012, at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids following a short illness. Funeral services: 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Pius X Catholic Church, where Don was an active parishioner for many years. The Rev. Phil Thompson will officiate. Visitation will be Saturday from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. at the church. Burial: Mount Calvary Cemetery.

Don was born Sept. 13, 1949, the third of four sons of Richard W. and Gertrude (Kearney) Burrows of Belle Plaine, Iowa, where the Burrows family owned and operated the Belle Plaine Union and Burrows Publishing Co. from 1913 until 1968.

Don was preceded in death by his parents; and an older brother, Jerry.

Don graduated from Belle Plaine Community High School in 1967 and enlisted in the United States Navy shortly after graduation. Upon returning to Iowa, he moved to Cedar Rapids, taking a position as a printer with the Cedar Rapids Gazette. He married the former Karen J. Stevens (now Gilson) of Oelwein, Iowa, in 1969. They divorced in 1994.

Don is survived by his daughters Ann Howell, and her son, Zach, of Springfield, Mo., and Kelly (Andy) Bourquin, and their children, Jacob, Graciela, Louis and Nolan, of Storrs-Mansfield, Conn.; and by his sons, Brad of Oelwein and Jeff (Jill) Burrows, and their children, Trevor and Kyla, of North Liberty. Also surviving are brothers, Bill (Linda) of Cortland Manor, N.Y., and Paul, and his son, Ryan, of Cedar Rapids; and his nephew, Sam Iverson-Burrows of Ottawa, Canada.

For nearly all of Don's adult life he was employed in sales and sales management, project management and general management positions in commercial construction glass and glazing in the window and door business. He derived great joy from high school and college football and had a great love of University of Iowa sports.

He was a member of the Iowa High School Athletic Association, Cedar Rapids Athletic Officials' Association, Cedar Rapids Umpires' Association and the Iowa Conference Officials' Association. He also supervised and assigned umpires for college baseball for years. Don retired from active officiating in 2000 and from Home Depot in 2010.

Online condolences can be left for the family at

Published Jan. 12, 2012, in The Gazette