Justin Michal Burns, 38, of Alamosa, Colo., died April 9, 2013, at his residence in Alamosa.

Mr. Burns was born on Nov. 16, 1974, in Boulder City, Nev., the son of Larry Martin and Dawn Stiver. He moved to Prescott, Ariz., as an infant and lived most of his life in Prescott.

He was adopted by Mr. Bob Burns of Prescott when his mother remarried. He graduated from Prescott High School in 1993.

Justin was a talented artist, mechanic and an expert on trains. Justin worked at his grandfather's garage, Car Care by Bob, nearly full-time from 1988 to 2012, with several short-term jobs working on railroads, his first love,

in Arizona and Colorado. In 2005, Justin combined his talents to partner with his close friends Charles Armstrong and Brad Houk and opened the doors of Auto Art Studio in Prescott. They built high-quality custom vehicles. He was particularly adept at working on steam locomotives. In the fall of 2012, Justin relocated his family to Alamosa when he accepted a job with the Rio Grande Scenic railroad as a steam locomotive mechanic.

In 2005, Justin married Michelle Denison of Prescott. They have two children. He was a dedicated father of Ayden and Cheyenne. He particularly enjoyed sharing outdoor experiences with his children. They flew kites, fished, kayaked and four-wheeled in the hills.

Mr. Burns is survived by his wife, Michelle of Alamosa; children Ayden and Cheyenne Burns; mother and stepfather Dawn and San Stiver of Prescott; stepfather Bob Burns of Phoenix, Ariz.; father Larry Martin of Mena, Ark.; sisters Alanna Burns of Prescott, Kathleen Rubi of Phoenix, Ariz., Julie Daniels of Colorado Springs, Colo. and Jenny Berven of Fort Collins, Colo.; brothers Eric Burns of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Caleb Martin of Mena, Ark.; grandparents Bob and Arlene Mezeske of Prescott; uncle Rob Mezeske of Salem, Ore.; cousins Evan Mezeske and Andrea Mezeske; grandmother Nanette Martin of Las Vegas, Nev.; and niece Mataya Burns of Prescott.

The family will have a memorial to celebrate Justin's life 5:30 p.m. Saturday, April 20, 2013, at the Adult Center, 1280 E. Rosser St., Suite B in Prescott. In lieu of flowers, a PayPal account has been established for his children at justinburnsmemorialfund@gmail.com.