Wayne Burtness of Watkins died Sunday, March 12, 2017, at the St. Cloud Hospital. He was 71. 
A memorial service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 19, at the Ertl Funeral Home in Watkins. Wayne’s son, Scott Burtness will officiate. Friends may call from 12:30 p.m. until the time of services on Sunday at the Ertl Funeral Home.
Wayne Orlando Burtness was born June 30, 1945, in Minneapolis to Orlando and Iva (Johnson) Burtness. He grew up and received his education in St. Paul and received an Associate Degree from the University of Minnesota in Crookston. Wayne served his country in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967. Wayne was united in marriage March 29, 1969, to Sharon Hannah at the First Presbyterian Church in Crookston. They started their 49 years of life together in Hilltop, Minn., and purchased a home in Columbia Heights, Minn., in 1976. Wayne and Sharon lived in Columbia Heights for 30 years before retiring to their Watkins home on Clear Lake.
During his career, Wayne worked as a manufacturing representative. One of his proudest achievements was starting his own business which he managed until he retired. His work was a reflection of his values and interests. He genuinely enjoyed learning and took great delight in being a jack-of-all-trades. He loved to meed new people, share his knowledge, and learn from them in return.
In retirement, Wayne continued to feed his desire to learn. An avid reader, he could often be found with his nose in a book about anthropology, history, geology, and the occasional crime thriller. Wayne also truly loved living by the lake. Hardly a sunrise went by that didn’t find him already up, coffee in hand and enjoying the birds and wildlife and peacefulness of lake living.
Wayne was preceded in death by his parents.
He is survived by his wife Sharon Burtness of Watkins; children and their spouses Angela (and Clinton) Gebhard of Park City, Utah, and Scott (and Liz) Burtness of Minneapolis; granddaughter Autumn Gebhard of Park City, Utah; sister Dorothy (and John) Westrem of East Grand Forks.
He will be fondly remembered by all who knew him.