John S. Briani-Burden, 77, of Lewis Center, Ohio, passed away on December 21st, 2020 at Paramount Senior Living, Westerville, Ohio. He was born on October 18, 1943 in Lima, Ohio to the late Carl Burden and Pearl (Burden) Stants.
John is survived by Rose, his wife of 29 years; his twin children Jody (Joe) Wolf and Joe (Barb) Burden and; his daughter Regina Briani-Burden; his sister Linda Jacomet; five grandchildren; Bella, his Labrador Retriever; and a vast number of nephews and nieces. He was preceded in death by his six brothers and two sisters.
John was quiet and shy until you got to know him. He had the highest integrity and moral values and would do anything for his family and friends.
Through the years, John worked at Lane’s Moving and Storage, Neon Products Inc., Westinghouse Electrical Systems Division, Sundstrand Aerospace Division, and he retired in 2002 from United Technologies, Rockford, Illinois. He graduated from Lima Senior High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in production management from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio. His work ethic was above reproach.
John was a man of faith who enjoyed attending Sunday services, serving as a greeter, and telling stories at the Lewis Center UMC men’s breakfasts. He was a U.S. Army veteran.
He stood out on the dance floor and was well known for his dancing skills, which made him quite popular at all events. John loved all types of music and through the years went to countless concerts, musicals, and plays.
John had exceptional talents, such as cooking; canning; baking cookies, pies, and cream puffs; making candy; woodworking; gardening; hunting; boating; and camping. He enjoyed bowling and golf, and loved to watch collegiate sports.
Above all fishing was his passion. He was happiest when in a boat on a river, lake or ocean, wading in the Maumee River or fishing from a dock. John fished in Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado, Wisconsin, Florida, Ohio, and many other locations including his favorite spot at Rice lake in Canada with his best friend Ross. His annual fish fries were epic and always drew a large crowd. As a genuine fisherman, John told interesting fish stories and most of them were true!
John and Rose traveled many places in the United States, as well as the Caribbean, England, France, and Ireland. In 2019, John, Rose and Regina took a heritage trip to Ukraine.
John served as a Boy Scout leader for many years and guided several boys in his troop through Eagle Scouts. He loved and respected nature and lived by the Boy Scout motto “Leave this world a little better than you found it.”
A private family service will be held for John, Thursday, December 24th at Chiles – Laman Funeral and Cremation Services, Shawnee Chapel. Burial to follow, at Woodlawn Cemetery in Lima, OH.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made online to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) or Lewis Center United Methodist Church, 1081 Lewis Center Road, Lewis Center, Ohio 43035.