Burford Shore
Shiloh | Save
Burford Leroy Shore, Jr. ("Sonny"), 89, born on November 20, 1936, in East St. Louis, IL, passed away on Friday, October 16, 2026 surrounded by family at his home in Shiloh, IL.
Burford graduated from East St. Louis Sr. High School in 1955, attended SIU-Carbondale, and was a member of the ROTC, before returning home in 1957 to marry Rosalie.
Burford was a devoted and generous man who gave the best of himself to life and to those he loved. He was a long-time member of Winstanley Baptist Church, Fairview Heights, IL. He was a man of many talents, with a creative and hard-working spirit. He was charismatic, fun-loving, and the life of the party. Gifted in many ways, he approached everything with diligence and a resilience that carried him through whatever he set his mind to.
His career spanned many years in the pharmaceutical industry, beginning at Wilson's Pharmacy in East St. Louis and leading him to Narco Drug Company in St. Louis as Director of Data Processing. He was on the front-end of technology, installing the company's first computer system in the 1960s. His entrepreneurial spirit later inspired him to found Superior Data Service, a business he operated alongside his beloved wife, Rosalie, for many years and well into retirement.
Burford took great pleasure in building, and through tinkering, he taught himself to craft furniture and complete projects around the home, but his greatest passion and hobby was building remote control model airplanes, which began in his youth and lasted throughout his life. He was a member of the Belleville RC Flyers Club, where he spent many happy hours taking his creations to the skies.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosalie (nee Norkus), his high school sweetheart, who he married in 1957, and loved dearly for 68years of marriage, and missed every day since her passing in 2025, and his parents, Burford and Helen M. (nee Williams) Shore Sr., and in-laws, Frank and Bernice (nee Adomitis) Norkus.
Burford is survived by his loving children, Janice (Tom) Bollinger and David (Kelley) Shore; his seven grandchildren, Thomas (Emily) Bollinger, John (Melissa) Bollinger, Billy (Elizabeth) Bollinger, Jill (Mark) Murray, Amanda Shore (Todd Gauch), Jennifer (Rich) Edwards, and Patrick Shore (Julie Rogers); his fifteen great-grandchildren, Ava, Ryan, Ben and Will Bollinger, Hannah Shore, Ethan Gauch, Kensi and Callie Edwards, Madison and Austin Bollinger, Jack and Sam Murray, and Olivia, Sophia, and Charlotte Bollinger; his sister-in-law Joan Norkus Schramm, and brothers-in-law, Frank Norkus, and Daniel (Maria) Norkus. He is also survived by many loving nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association.
Visitation will be held on Monday, October 26, 2026, from 9:00am to 11:00am at Kassly Mortuary in Fairview Heights, IL.
A service will follow at 11:00 am at Kassly Mortuary in Fairview Heights, IL, with Pastor Chris Wells officiating. Interment will follow at Lake View Memorial Gardens, Fairview Heights, IL.
Kassly Mortuary, Ltd.
