Yvonne L. Burns

Yvonne L. Burns
Rochester, NY

Passed away suddenly on, September 13, 2023 at the age of 69 Years.

Predeceased by her parents, Roger and Henriette Farley; dear cousin, Nicole DeMarchi

Yvonne is survived by her loving husband of 45 years, John; beloved children, Brian and Shelley (AJ); cherished grandchildren, Justin, Isaiah and Maya; bonus grandchildren, Xavier and Auretta; bonus great-grandchildren, Ani and Skylar; dear brother and sister, Horace (Jackie) and Julie (Lee); many aunts, uncle, nieces, nephews and cousins.

Family will receive friends Sunday, September 24th 11AM-1PM at New Comer Cremations & Funerals, 6 Empire Blvd. Yvonne's Celebration of Life will immediately follow at 1PM.

Click to view Yvonne's service

Per Yvonne's request, please dress casually comfortable and colorful is encouraged!

In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in her memory.

To share a memory of Yvonne or leave a special message for family, please visit the guestbook below.

Yvonne was born in Sudbury, Ontario Canada, lived in Cornwall, Ontario and then moved to NY when she was 6 years old. She was a 1972 graduate of Nazareth Academy and worked in healthcare at RGH. She married her husband in 1978 and they had been together for 45 years at the time of her passing. It's a good thing they stayed married all those years as her father told John that she wasn't returnable following their epic 3-day wedding celebration. Yvonne couldn't wait to have kids and in short order, had 2 beautiful children, Brian and Shelley. Yvonne was a devoted mother and wife and was happiest spending time with her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends. She loved watching Brian play sports and Shelley dance. When her grandchildren, Justin, Isaiah and Maya, were born she was over the moon and spent as much time with them as she possibly could. She was a fierce supporter of those she loved and would give you the clothes off her back if she could. We don't think her heart could have been any bigger than it was.

Yvonne had an unmistakable laugh, didn't she? In fact, she seemed to laugh at almost everything except for when she was upset and that's where her favorite adjective came in. As John would vouch for, Yvonne's favorite adjective started with the letter "F" and it definitely wasn't for Farley or even fart. She loved shopping whether she needed something or not and always had to buy gifts for her kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews whether they wanted it or not. Yvonne loved going out to eat as long as the restaurant offered cheese quesadillas, cabbage soup, or fish fry/perch plate. You should have been there when she tried Indian food for the first and only time while visiting her sister Julie. We're pretty sure that experience caused her to consider starvation or at least to never try a new food again. Her love of talking on the phone was second to none. How many of you got on the phone with her only to hear her talk to the dog, the other people in the room or even to yell at John? Or, she'd call and immediately tell you she couldn't remember why she was calling and then proceed to talk to you about nothing for the next 30 min. I'm sure this hobby caused some to pause and wonder why her ear hadn't ever fallen off due to its clear over-use. She was the Queen of "no filter" rivaled only by her brother Horace who is the true King of "no filter". Telling it like it was and doing things her own way were brave, strong and admirable traits. She did have her share of physical ailments but the most debilitating disease she suffered from was FOMO. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's the "fear of missing out". She had to know every detail of every event that ever happened, even if you were just running to the store to pick up cabbage for her soup. Many of you might not have known but Yvonne was an amazing actress. If the category existed, she would have won an Emmy for outstanding performance for her role of "Phone Tree President" in the movie "Yvonne Knows All". Ensuring that everyone in the world knew of the latest news in the fastest way possible was most impressive. In terms of her background, her uncanny ability to tan, even in the middle of winter, made some wonder if she had Marion/Ayotte blood. However, her sheer love of sugar guaranteed her rightful spot in the family tree. Raisin and sugar pies, cannoli's, pineapple upside down cake, and toast with good 'ol molasses topped her sweet tooth list. Some of her favorite times were spent visiting her brother and her cousins in Canada as well as camping at Coles Creek, where John's family and her Canadian relatives would congregate on the St Lawrence for some good food, lots of drinks (not for Yvonne though- she only went as far as a strawberry daiquiri once in a blue moon) and laughs. We're pretty sure the locals ran for the hills when their wood-paneled station wagon rolled into town. Yvonne led a simple life yet was one of the most complex people you'd ever meet. She truly was one of a kind. When anyone said her name, everyone in the room knew exactly who she was, not unlike mentioning the names "Cher", "Madonna", or "Elmo" in general company.

This is a day that we hoped would never come but here we are. Yvonne, you are now reunited in Heaven with your birth mom, the person you so desperately wanted to know along with your adoptive mom, the one you loved with all of your heart and the same person who took a chunk of your heart away when she left us over 23 yrs ago. May you be our angel as we remain here on earth awaiting our reunion with you in our God's beloved Heaven.