Ralph Estes Burns Jr.

Ralph Estes Burns Jr.

Ralph Estes Burns Jr. left his earthly life while enjoying one of his favorite pastimes — playing disc golf at Sunset Park, in Riverton, Wyo. Ralph and his wife, Lita, had been visiting her mother and family for the Memorial Day holiday.

Ralph was born Dec. 10, 1953, to Ralph Estes Burns and Maxarine Bolin Burns (Hudspeth), in Jackson, Miss. He attended primary and secondary school in Jackson, graduating from Wingfield High School. Ralph attended Hinds Junior College and later graduated from Mississippi State College, with a Bachelor of Science degree in anthropology.

After college, Ralph moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., with his aunt and uncle and their family. He found he enjoyed the Rocky Mountains and remained in Colorado, later moving to Westminster. He met Lita in Westminster and they married in 1989. After their son, Matthew, was born in 1990, the Burns family moved to Riverton. Marie was born in 1994, completing their family.

Ralph and his family relocated to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in 2001, where the family still resides. Ralph has been a sheriff’s deputy for the past 26 years; seven years for Fremont County Sheriff’s Department and the past 19 years for the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department.

Ralph’s greatest joy in life was spending time with his family. Friday night game night became a family tradition. His border collies trained him well to play Frisbee and go for walks. He also enjoyed playing disc golf with anyone who was willing to play with him, but especially with his son, brother-in-law, nephew and work buddies. Golf was also a favorite pastime. When his kids played soccer, he was their greatest fan and did his part refereeing as many games as he could fit in a weekend.

Ralph was baptized into the Southern Baptist faith as a child and converted to Catholicism after he married Lita. He was a very spiritual man and spent hours each day praying and reading to help deepen his faith. He was a devout member of Pope St. Pius X Catholic Church, where he served as a hospitality minister and was a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Ralph is survived by his wife, Manuelita “Lita” Arguello Burns; his son, Matthew and daughter, Marie, all of Coeur d’Alene; his mother-in-law, Cleo Medina of Riverton; sister and brother-in-law, Lindy and Dave Paskett; brother-in-law, Paul Medina of Lafayette, Colo.; nephews Jeremy Paskett (Kristen), Brooks Paskett (Zosia) of Riverton; nieces Jessica Giddens-Burrell of Ridgeland, Miss., Jennifer Krause (Scott) of Cheyenne; and numerous uncles, aunts, cousins and great-nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph Estes Sr. and Maxarine (MeMe) Bolan Hudspeth; step-father, Clyde Hudspeth; and sister, Deborah Burns Giddens.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, gift donation be sent to Pope St. Pius X Food Pantry, a ministry that serves the poor and homeless of the Coeur d’Alene community, or to a nonprofit of the donor’s choice. Memorials may be sent to Davis Funeral Home, 2203 W. Main St. Riverton, WY 82501.

Online condolences may be made to the family at www.TheDavisFuneralHome.com.

Services under the direction of Davis Funeral Home.