Thomas Edward Burney, M.D., 92, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 16, 2011, in the home of his son, Bryan Thomas Burney, M.D. of McCordsville, Ind. He was the son of Harold Edward Burney and Frances Janette Whitlock of Portsmouth, Ohio.
Dr. Burney graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1936. At DePauw University, he was a Rector Scholar and a member of Delta Chi fraternity; he graduated in 1940. He attended and graduated from Western Reserve Medical School (now Case Western Reserve) in 1943 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, achieving the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps. During WWII he supervised German prisoners of war and did medical research at Fort Detrick, Md. While at Fort Detrick he met his future wife, Ruth Bussard, then secretary to General Omar Bradley; she preceded him in death in 1973. He married Maria Gallagher in 1984, and she also preceded him in death in 2008. Dr. Burney began his medical internship at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City and completed the internship at Crile Hospital in Parma Heights, Ohio. In the early days of his practice, he supplemented his income through various means, including serving as the team doctor for the Cleveland Indians in 1948, the last time they won the World Series. He was a longtime Cleveland Indians fan and later was a stockholder in the team. He practiced Internal Medicine and was on the staffs of Lakewood and Fairview Park Hospitals in Lakewood, Ohio for 59 years, retiring in 2002. He was a member of Divinity Lutheran Church in Parma Heights.
He is survived by his son Bryan (Virginia); son, Edward Brent Burney (Christine Speak) of Salem, Ore.; five grandchildren, Thomas Edward Burney of Vail, Colo., Matthew Scott Burney, currently traveling in Central America, LTJG Amanda Jane Ross of the United States Navy, Emily Ruth Burney and Thomas Alexander Burney of Salem, Ore.
Calling will be from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2011, at Seals Funeral Home at 122 West Staat Street, Fortville, Ind. There will be visitation at 1 p.m. with funeral services to follow at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 21, 2011, at Divinity Lutheran Church in Parma Heights, Ohio. Burial will be at Oakwood Cemetery in Troy, N.Y.
Memorial contributions may be made to Divinity Lutheran Church or to DePauw University.
Online condolences may be shared at www.sealsfuneralhome.com.
