Daniel Lee Burris
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BURRIS, Daniel Lee, 64, of Lutz, passed away peacefully on October 7, 2011.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 35 years, Nancy; brother, David (Sherry), sister, Judy Wood (Shawn), mother, Beatrice, sister-in-law, Lora Ayers Holt and thousands of students he taught over the years. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert, one of the few men who could “out fish” him.
Dan was a gentle man and a quiet hero. Everyone around him learned from the way he lived his life to have honesty, morality, integrity and passion for life. He loved his cats and dogs and other pets too numerous to mention. He truly loved every single thing about nature, every plant and animal on earth, in a way few people do. His passion for capturing the beauty of butterflies started as a young boy and flourished as he built his collection gathered from across the globe. He lived his life in Tampa after returning from the US Air Force where he served as a Russian translator. After graduating from Chamberlain High School, he earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in education at the University of Florida and the University of South Florida, was an educator at Mango and Mort Elementary Schools and also taught adult education for many years. He was a wedding and special events videographer who captured beautiful memories for so many people. The past few years, he was a security officer for Securitas at the HSBC complex in Brandon, a job he cared about with people he enjoyed. He always strived for detail and perfection in everything he did. He was an artist who would study his subjects with a magnifying glass to “get it right.” He was like a “second father” to his brother and sister and so many of his students. He was “Uncle Dan” to his nieces, Andrea, Kelly, Nicole, Michelle and his nephew, Bill Holt (Tami). Dan touched thousands of lives with his brilliance, wit and caring. He was so many things to so many people.
A gathering of friends will be held October 23 from 1-3 pm at David & Sherry’s home in Seffner, 602 Grand National Place.
"What the caterpillar calls the end of the world the master calls a butterfly." - Richard Bach.
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