Wynn Burrus

Wynn Alexandra Burrus, 21, died peacefully surrounded by her family and friends on September 17, 2019 at UNC Hospital where she fought a brave 3-day fight with an infection. Wynn is survived by her parents Erik and Beth Burrus of Raleigh, NC, her brother Anderson Burrus of Raleigh, NC, her sister Parker Burrus of New York, NY, her grandfather William Rice Jr. of Winston-Salem, NC as well as 11 cousins, a myriad of aunts and uncles and her grand godparents Doug and Barbara Day of Chapel Hill, NC. 


Wynn was born in Raleigh, NC on October 6, 1997.  She grew up in Raleigh and attended Root Elementary School, Daniels Middle School and Broughton High School. Wynn, Sweet Wynn, Wynnie or Pynn (as her brother always called her) packed her 21 years of life with more accomplishments than most people do in a lifetime. She was a highly ranked junior tennis player. She played on the top tier travel volleyball team. She played tennis and volleyball for Broughton High School. She carried on her sister Parker’s love for the special needs classes at Broughton High School by organizing a prom for them.  She wanted them to know they were an important part of their school and that they mattered. The next year she expanded the prom to include special needs students from all over Wake County. She knew many of the students were NCSU fans so she arranged for members of the Wolfpack basketball team to come and play basketball with them. 


Her senior year in high school she was offered full scholarships at many top universities but chose the Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC. She was accepted as an incoming freshman into the Kenan-Flagler Business School where she excelled. She was a proud member of the Kappa Delta sorority where she established a pen pal program with Hope Charter Leadership Academy in Raleigh called Hope for Hope. Her wish was that these elementary students could have a connection to a college student to encourage them to pursue their dreams and maybe attend college one day.  This summer Wynn was honored with the Corre Anding Stegall Collegiate Leadership Award for Kappa Delta, which is their highest individual collegiate honor based on academics and leadership within the chapter, on campus and in the community. 


Wynn thrived in intellectually challenging work. She interned in Washington, D.C. and New York City and studied abroad at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. She was thrilled recently to be offered a job with JP Morgan as an investment-banking analyst in New York after she graduated. 


She was so excited about going to NYC and could not wait to be co-workers with her sister Parker at JP Morgan. Parker and Wynn were best friends. They loved nothing more than to sit for hours talking or having a dance party in the kitchen. As children, Wynn and Parker put on duets and shows for friends and family for hours on end. Wynn asked for an overhead projector one Christmas so that she and Parker could play school and make sure all their stuffed animals were well educated. 


Pynn (as her brother Anderson called her) was perfect according to Anderson. He adored his little sister. The feeling was mutual and Anderson had no bigger cheerleader in the world than Pynn. Every accomplishment was met with “Well, of course she did.”  Even though she was five years younger he knew she was in charge when mom and dad were away. He always said she was a beam of sunshine who brightened up his entire life. 


Wynn had a unique gift of encouragement.  She would leave notes on your bed when you returned from a trip or on your steering wheel before a trip. She would send text messages asking about how an event went that she remembered you had or just to say hi and to let you know she was thinking about you.  She dropped off homemade goodies when you had a big test coming up. She made everyone feel like her best friend. For those of you who knew her, you know this is true. For those who did not get the chance to know her, we are confident that she would have made you feel special too.


Wynn would want you to know that her genuine love for others and her passion for service was an expression of her love for Jesus Christ, who was the foundation of her life. It was easy to see Jesus in the day-to-day life of Wynn Burrus.


A visitation will be held Sunday, September 22nd from 2pm-6pm at Temple Baptist / Capital Community Church, 1417 Clifton Street Raleigh, NC.

A service to honor and celebrate Wynn's life will be held on Monday, September 23rd at 2pm at Edenton Street United Methodist Church, 228 W. Edenton St. Raleigh, NC.


For those who would like to give a gift to honor Wynn, and in lieu of flowers, we offer these ideas:


Wynn loved the special needs students at Broughton High School, and she would be honored by donations to Broughton High School, 723 St. Marys Street, Raleigh, NC 27605 with ID Mod/Special Programs in the memo line.


Wynn was grateful for the opportunities given to her through the Morehead-Cain Scholarship program.  She planned to give back to the program later in life. You can give to The Morehead-Cain Scholarship Fund in Memory of Wynn A. Burrus ’20, PO Box 690, Chapel Hill, NC 27514.


Our family has been humbled and overwhelmed by the outpouring of love. Please know how appreciative we are for every text, email, note, and expression of kindness. If you would like to share a personal remembrance of Wynn with our family, please do so at storiesofwynn@gmail.com (mailto:storiesofwynn@gmail.com).