Margaret Virginia Burns M.D.

Margaret Virginia Burns, 98, of 311 Kimberly Avenue, Asheville, died on Thursday June 30, 2011 at The Laurels of Green Tree Ridge after a period of declining health. Margaret was born in Asheville on July 1, 1912 to Dana Blackburn Burns and Clara McConnell Burns. The death of an infant brother because of illness helped inspire Margaret to want to study medicine and to become a doctor. She went to Duke University, where in 1937 she became the second woman ever to earn a medical degree at that school. During her early career Margaret practiced medicine in Delaware, Georgia, and North Carolina. In the early 1950s she became a psychiatrist. Margaret practiced psychiatry at Highland Hospital during the 1950s and 1960s. Later, she had a private psychiatric practice in Asheville, continuing to see patients until well into her eighties. During the 1990s Margaret was the medical director of the Wellspring Counseling Service in Hendersonville. Margaret was preceded in death by baby brother Robert, sister Mary Burns Mayes, and brother Dana Bruce Burns. She is survived by niece Claire Grimes (husband Billy) of Gainesville, Georgia, nephew Frank Mayes (wife Cindy) of New Orleans, Louisiana, and two dear longtime friends, John Devine of the home and Pat McAfee (husband Ray) of Blythewood, South Carolina. Margaret’s relatives and her many friends will remember her remarkable love of life, her magnanimity towards and love for other people, and her great courage and tenacity in the face of illness and adversity. Arrangements are being handled by Morris Funeral Home of Asheville. A memorial service will be held at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Asheville on Saturday August 6th at 10:00 am. Memorials can be made either to Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church (789 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville, NC 28804) or to the Margaret Burns Memorial Fund at Duke University. The fund is associated with Duke’s Center for Spirituality, Theology, and Health and will function in furtherance of a spiritual emphasis to the practice of psychiatry. Gifts to the fund can be made through the Center for Spirituality, Theology, and Health at Duke Medicine, c/o Elizabeth Hopkins, Duke Medicine Development and Alumni Affairs, 512 S. Magnum Street, Suite 400, Durham, NC 27701. Gifts to the fund can also be made online by going to the Center’s homepage at http://spiritualityandhealth.duke.edu, clicking on the link Margaret Burns Memorial Fund, and choosing on the following page the link ON-LINE GIVING. This will take the user to a page on which he can choose the option Make a New Gift and specify under Additional / Other Designations “Margaret Burns Memorial Fund, fund code 391-4136.”

Tributes

Margaret Virginia Burns M.D.

July 1, 1912 - June 30, 2011