Obituary of Burnie J. Rossum

Burnie J. Rossum

May 10, 1974 – September 9, 2024

Loving Husband, Father, Brother and Friend

Burnie Rossum, age 50, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, lost his lengthy and debilitating battle with cancer on September 9, 2024. Born on May 10, 1974, in Deland, Florida, Burnie lived a life full or love, laughter and baseball.

Burnie leaves behind his beloved wife of 22 years, Jen, and their three amazing children, Jack, Bella and Sam. Burnie’s greatest love was his family and he enjoyed spending time with them doing a variety of things, including playing baseball in the backyard, going golfing, playing poker, and going on vacations to Wisconsin, the North Shore and Mexico. Burnie enjoyed watching a wide variety of sports, but especially his own children playing the sports that they loved. The family enjoyed hiking together when the kids were younger and visited several state parks in search of beautiful waterfalls.

Burnie worked in accounting and finance throughout his career. He earned his CPA and CFA designations, as well as his MBA from the Carlson School of Business at the University of Minnesota. He loved crunching numbers. Jen often joked that nothing happened in their relationship without a spreadsheet first. Burnie was also a voracious reader and could often be found with a book or a magazine in his hand. One of his favorite pastimes was relaxing in a hammock with a good book.

Second only to his family, Burnie loved playing baseball. He joined the Twin Cities Men’s Adult Baseball League (TCMABL) with his brother Ben 26 years ago and enjoyed playing ball every Sunday with his teammates. Baseball became a true family affair, as Jen, sister-in-law Laura, and their kids came to cheer on their guys. Burn most often pitched to his brother Ben, making them lifelong teammates. Their teams racked up numerous wins as well as league championships over the years. Burnie loved playing competitive baseball, but perhaps even more, he loved sharing hot dogs and drinks with his friends after the games. Baseball provided a second family, as friendships with teammates spanned over decades, and many of the team’s children grew up together. Several of those friendships extended well beyond the ball field, into nights out on the town or at each other’s homes, playing games, enjoying conversations and often uproarious laughter.

Burnie was a person who liked to pass on his knowledge to others. He loved to teach his kids how to fix things and build things. He was passionate about personal finance and had hoped to mentor young people about investing after his retirement. He and Jen owned a duplex in South Minneapolis for 24 years and did virtually every repair and improvement to the home themselves.

In August of 2021, just as they were settling into their new home, Burnie was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent several surgeries and continued to work from home throughout his numerous rounds of chemotherapy, which lasted almost eight months. For awhile it seemed that Burnie had won his battle with cancer, but in the spring of 2024, scans revealed spots on his lungs. He had a lobectomy, but the cancer had metastasized to other lobes as well. Burnie began treatment in mid-June of this year, and unlike his initial rounds of chemotherapy, his most recent treatments were much more brutal and debilitating. He quickly began to deteriorate, both physically and mentally, which made participating in activities with his family nearly impossible. Burnie was robbed not only of his health, but also of the ability to enjoy his son’s ballgames, much less his own.

In the final weeks of this life, Burnie enjoyed watching the Olympics with Bella; going to the driving range and hitting golf balls with Sam – their last outing they both reported being one of their best ever, both father and son hitting the ball extremely well; and watching a Vikings game with Jack and one of his best friends, Mike. Burnie helped Jen with some yard work on a warm late summer day, and commented on how beautiful her garden looked, pausing for a moment to enjoy the day.

Burnie was preceded in death by: His mother Christine, his father Tom, his beloved grandparents Loretta & Rudy, and his aunt Mary Ann.

He is survived by his wife Jen (Gage) and their children Jackson, Bella and Sam, as well as his brother Ben, sister-in-law Laura, niece Mackenzie and nephew Jacob; his uncle Terry Heidmann and wife Inge; uncle Steve Kloeppel, his wife Cyndi, and cousins Shannon Kloeppel, Jessica LaPaglia (Jonathan, Alice & Miles) and Kama Rossum (Allison), as well as numerous dear friends, and teammates.

Burnie’s Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, October 12th, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. Visitation will begin at 1:00. Cremation Society or MN, Edina.

Please join us to celebrate Burnie’s life, share stories and laughs, and drink a toast in his honor.

In lieu of flowers, donations for Jack, Bella and Sam’s education would be greatly appreciated.

                                     https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-burnie-rossums-family