Roland Burrows' Obituary
Roland Burrows, 87, of Tamarac, Florida passed away peacefully at home on October 15, 2018.
Roland was born in Stewiacke, Nova Scotia on June 13, 1931 to George and Gladys (Dingle) Burrows. In 1948, Roland and his family immigrated to the United States where they settled on Staten Island, New York. Roland graduated from McKee Vocational High School in 1949. After graduation, he entered the United States Marine Corp and was stationed at Marine Corp Base, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii where he received the National Defense Service Medal.
Upon completion of his military service, Roland returned to Staten Island where he met and married Carmela (Millie) Lala. He began working for the New York City Transit Authority as an electrician maintaining elevators and escalators for the Metropolitan Transit Authority. After 24 years with the Transit Authority, he retired in 1991 and moved to South Florida to enjoy the sun and warmth of the Sunshine state.
During his time in South Florida, he devolved a deep passion towards preserving the native foliage of the region. He volunteered for over ten years at the Fern Forest Nature Center of Broward County working to remove non-native and potentially destructive plant life. For his unfailing efforts, he was named the Broward County Volunteer of the Year in 2004 from Broward County Parks and Recreation. Roland was also quite active in the Florida Trails Association participating in many of the group’s activities and was given the organization’s Special Service Award for ‘Significant Contributions’ in 2006.
As a US Marine, Roland was instilled with a deep sense of service to others. Those who knew him know of his easy smile, kinds words and unfailing desire to help anyone who needed a hand without expecting anything in return.
Roland was predeceased by his wife Carmela of 30 years and is survived by his son Stephen (Karen) of Stratford, CT and sister Alice (Vincent) of Brookfield, Nova Scotia. He was predeceased by a sister Blanche (Robert). He is survived by several nieces and nephews.
Roland was a loving husband, father, community member and friend to everyone.
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