Allan Willard Burleson, 94

Allan Willard Burleson, 94, passed away on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006, in Sandpoint, Idaho.Memorial services will be held at 1 p.m. Feb. 24, 2007. at St. Agnes Episcopal Church with Rev. JP Carver officiating. Military honors will follow services.

Allan was born on March 11, 1912, in Jamestown, N.D. the fourth son of Rev. Edward W. and Alice (Wilcox) Burleson. The family moved to Sandpoint in 1912.

His father was reassigned in 1919 to Palouse, Wash., where Allan attended schools, graduating from Palouse High School. He attended Washington State College (now WSU), then Hobart College N.Y., from which he graduated in 1934.

His father had been wounded in a gun accident a few years earlier and was hospitalized in Spokane, requiring that Allan interrupt his schooling to tend to his father's ranch north of Sandpoint. Allan later did graduate studies at Columbia University, earning a master's degree in English. He then taught English at Hobart College until he was drafted during World War II.

Allan trained in the Army in Wisconsin and then was assigned to an infantry division in Patton's Third Army. He saw action in the Battle of the Bulge and later earned a Bronze Star for heroic action when his unit was preparing to cross a major river near the German border.

After the war, Allan taught English and algebra at Sandpoint High School while looking after his elderly father and dependent elder brother. After they passed away, Allan devoted much of his time to the history of eastern Washington and North Idaho, serving as secretary of the Eastern Washington Historical Society for many years. He tended to the interests of aged friends in North Idaho and Spokane and helped them find their genealogical roots until his own advancing age slowed him down.

Allan was also a 70-year member of The Masonic Order, Ark Lodge No. 33 F & AM. Geneva, New York.

Living in his final years at the Life Care Center of Sandpoint, Allan found some residents there were former students of his.

Survivors include a niece, several nephews and numerous cousins around the U.S., most of who fondly recall his warmth and sharp wit. They are also indebted to him for his efforts over the years to unearth and preserve family history.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother.

Lakeview Funeral Home is handling the arrangements. Please visit Allan's memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign his online guest book.