Lawrence Emerson (Skip) Burrill
1932-2019
Cedar City, Utah, Lawrence Emerson “Skip” Burrill, age 87, died Friday, November 15, 2019, at Beehive Home Memory Care after a period of declining health due to his Alzheimer’s disease. Skip was born November 11, 1932 in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada to Cecil & Nellie (Leslie) Burrill. After high school Skip, always up for a challenge, tinkered with old cars, changing engines in Dad’s garage, as well working at tool machining, railroad maintenance and a logging equipment manufacturer. At that point he was persuaded by a close friend to pick up his final check and take off for a Christian Bible School on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The vehicle quit on them around Winnipeg, Manitoba, but not to be deterred, they bought another junker and arrived at their destination. Skip offered to go for supplies every day in order to “skip” classes, hence the name the Director gave him which stuck for the rest of his life. “Skip” always needing a new challenge, joined the Royal Canadian Air Force and served for four years. A new challenge? Selling insurance, which took him to Carlsbad, California and a job with State Farm Insurance as an adjuster. Here he met Nurse Sandra Carol Cummings and married Sandy on July 10, 1966. Later State Farm Insurance offered Skip his own agency, which he accepted as a new and scary challenge. He managed the business very successfully for more than thirty years. Sandy and Skip enjoyed a happy marriage, camping, fishing with their children, Jimmy and Tammy. Rehabbing cottages in Big Bear together and spending weekends at the family cottage in Big Bear. Skip loved his dogs. Especially white lap size dogs. They were always treated as family and sometimes ruled the roost. He liked wood working, working on projects around the house and old cars. They moved to Cedar City, Utah to start a new life in retirement. Sandy was disabled for several years and Skip was there to take loving care of her until her untimely death in 2011. Skip loved to talk and had no trouble making friends and keeping up those friendships including those of his teen years. A Chiropractic Dr. named Dan became a fast friend of Sandy and Skip. A great relationship! Dan was like a younger brother looking after Skip as his health declined. Surviving are Skip & Sandy’s son James John, of Sparks, NV, and daughter Tammy Lee and her son Cory Ross Burrill, Eureka, CA, brother’s James A. (Monica) and Graham I. (Anne) and sister Agnes L Burrill (Douglas)Little, numerous cousins, nephews, nieces, great nephews and nieces and even great great nieces. Cremation has taken place and spreading of ashes will occur on an undetermined date.
A special thanks to the staff of the Beehive Home Memory Care facility for their support and loving care of Skip. For them he was a special guy, even if he did ”escape” a time or two.