Lila Burnash

Our mother was invited to a polka dance today. She was ready. She was dressed in a lavender skirt with lavender blouse. The good news is that the party was in heaven. The bad news is that the party is in heaven.
Lila M. Burnash was the first born of Albert & Agnes Dubie on May 5, 1925, on a farm in Herron, Michigan. I’m sure her dad might have been in the fields planting corn or oats or some such thing. She would grow up through the depression, WWII, recessions, droughts and floods. Lila is and was a devout Catholic, she entered the convent in Adrian, MI in order to become a nun. She found the prayerful, silent contemplative life to be too much for her spirited personality especially when Frank Burnash convinced her to “save his soul instead of everybody else’s”. She left but maintained her devotion to the Church and a passionate love for the Blessed Mother. After graduation from St. Anne High School, she attended the County Normal and State Normal (teacher colleges in Alpena and Eastern Michigan University). She earned a teaching certificate and taught in a one-room schoolhouse in Alpena County. She also taught at St. Anne Catholic School and Hillman Elementary. She loved teaching six graders! She was very proud of the fact that a couple of her students went on to the seminary and became priests. While attending college she worked in Flint, MI at AC Spark Plug during the summer months. One of the special positions she held was to calibrate bomb sites during WWII. She was a “Rosie the Riveter”.
Lila was a beauty, and her dance card was always full. Lila loved, loved, loved to dance. Anywhere where there was a piano and fiddle; family and friends would push the table and rugs out of the way and dance the night away on the old wooden floors in a neighboring home. Cedar Grove, in Hubbard Lake, was another place where Lila waltzed, danced to polkas and fox trotted! She carried her dance shoes with her and was known to dust the floors with dance wax and was Frank Burnash’s greatest dance partner. She would continue to dance well into her nineties.
She sewed her dresses; hand sewn at times mind you. She had a sewing room wherever she lived. She made wedding dresses, baptism outfits, baby blankets, suits, and jackets just to name a few. If she couldn’t find a pattern for something she wanted to make; she made the pattern! Her sewing was featured in the Flint Journal Newspaper to advertise the Bishop Sewing Classes by the Flint Community Schools.
In November of 1953, Lila married Frank F. Burnash in Alpena, MI. After marriage Lila moved to Flint, Mi with Frank. Together, they ran Burnash Wrecking. The company is still in business today celebrating 82 successful years. Some years life was good; other years life was hard. However, with faith and hard work, things always worked out. Her husband Frank preceded her in death in 1981. When Frank died, Lila really got busy as she was a single parent to three boys still at home. She was the consummate saleslady. She sold Vanda Beauty Counselor, Amway and sold so much Tupper Ware that she drove a Tupper Ware company van. If you talked to her about any of these product lines, soon you were writing a hundred-dollar check for lipstick, bowls and laundry detergent!
For several years, every summer in August, Lila organized pilgrimages to religious sites in Canada. Some of the cities visited were Quebec City, Montreal and Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. Every year, the bus was always packed with 50-60 pilgrims. All became friends as they visited religious sites, attended daily mass and prayed together. Lila was an active member in the Daughters of Isabella. Lila was also a member of Right to Life.
She would say that her greatest accomplishment was the nine children. All of the children are talented and hold a special place in her heart. Surviving are: Judy Burnash, Sue (David) Quintanilla, Martin (Michelle) Burnash, Denice (Ed) Zarr, Celeste (Gary) Huber, Duane (Malinda) Burnash, Philip (Shelly) Burnash, Paul (Suzanne) Burnash, Anthony Burnash (Tracey), and Gerard Burnash. Lila has 25 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren and 4 great, great grandchildren.  In addition, surviving is a sister-in-law, Arlene Dubie and many cousins in Flint and Alpena who will miss her. Ken Yaklavich has been a very special friend and dancing partner. Virginia Makarewicz was like a sister to Lila. Special thank you to Malinda Burnash who gave up so much of her time and was on call 24-7 throughout the years of our mother's health issues.
Getting to the age of 97 is a blessing but it is also had its sorrows. Lila had siblings, of course, as every farm family does. Although she was the eldest child, all of her brothers and sisters preceded her in death. Clare Dubie, Marjorie Donakowski, Ardon Dubie, Arlie Dubie, and Saundra Dubie. Deceased sisters-in-law are Agnes Dubie and June Dubie, brother-in-law, Norbert Donakowski.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Rose Catholic Church.
Visitation will be 6-8 PM with a 7 PM Rosary on Monday, August 22 at Sharp Funeral Homes, Miller Road Chapel, 8138 Miller Rd., Swartz Creek. Visitation will be 9:30 - 10:30 followed by Funeral Mass at 10:30 AM Tuesday August 23 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, 5191 Richfield R. Flint, Fr. Roy Horning celebrant. She will then be transferred to the Alpena area.
Visitation will be 6-8 PM with a 7 PM Rosary on Tuesday, August 23 at Karpus Hunter Ross Funeral Home, 516 W. Chisholm St., Alpena. Visitation will be 10-11 AM Wednesday August 24 followed by Funeral Mass at St. Rose Catholic Church, 3433 Herron Rd., Herron, Michigan, Fr. Michael Lingaur celebrant. Interment will follow at St. Rose Cemetery.