November 10, 1931-September 23, 2026
Fred J. Burress, age 94, of Overland Park, KS, died on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 at the KC Hospice House in Kansas City, MO.
Born on November 10, 1931 in Jonesboro, Arkansas to Harriett Alice Johnson Burress and Tom Weston Burress, Fred lived a life defined by his love for his family.
Fred grew up in Jonesboro, AR & Erie, KS. He was named Fred after his mother's father, Fred Albert Johnson. He was given a middle initial "J" to honor both the afore-mentioned Fred A. Johnson and Joe C. Barrett, a life-long friend of Fred’s father. Fred J. graduated from Jonesboro High School in 1949. He matriculated to Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas for two years. While there he played basketball. Fred then transferred to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He joined the Kappa Sigma Fraternity and graduated in January, 1954 with a BS in Electrical Engineering. While at the University he met Paula Maxwell Smith. After college Fred joined the Navy. He completed officer candidate school in Newport, Rhode Island then he served for three years on the U.S.S. Tarawa CV-40, an aircraft carrier as an Electrical Officer. Following the Navy, Fred came home and married Paula on April 13, 1958, and had an amazing love story for the next 68 years. Fred spent the first fourteen years of his marriage working in small Missouri towns as an electrical engineer for Missouri Public Service, a utility company. In 1972 he took a position with a consulting firm and moved his family to Overland Park, KS. In 1977, he received his Master's of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE) from the University of Missouri. He was a Professional Engineer (PE). In 1979, Fred took a job with Amoco Pipeline Co. in Overland Park. He was then transferred to Fort Worth, Texas and subsequently to the Chicago area. He retired in 1994 and returned to Overland Park. Fred and Paula lived in their house on Alhambra for 31 years. In June 2025 they moved a mile or so south to an apartment in the Brookdale Independent Living Community.
He was a quiet man, a man of his times who grew up in 1940's Arkansas. He had a stubborn streak and was politically conservative. He was left-handed. He was proud of being a Navy veteran and served as President of the Kansas City Council of the Navy League of the United States. He grew up as a St. Louis Cardinals fan but eventually was a Royals fan. He was 100% a Kansas City Chiefs fan and was a season ticket holder for decades. He and his son, Jay, sat side by side in row 7 of Section 301 on the 50-yard line. On January 21, 2023 he was honored as the Lamar Hunt Legacy Seat Honoree during the AFC Divisional Playoff Game. His last game to attend at Arrowhead was in 2025 when he was 93.
Most importantly, his family was the center of his life. The highlight of that was visiting and seeing relatives, cousins, his kids, his five granddaughters and eventually his great-granddaughter. The Burress Reunions, which are held every 2 or 3 years since 1983 with the latest being Summer, 2026, were some of the most cherished times of his life.
He is survived by his loving wife of 68 years Paula Burress, his son Jay Burress (Cindy), daughter Madeline Sheppard (Mark), 5 granddaughters- Annie, Ellie, Betsy, Molly & Maggie and 1 great-granddaughter. Fred J. was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings (brother Tom Burress and Tom’s wife Martha and his sister Harriett Groshen and Harriett’s husband Irv).
A memorial service will be held at Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church, 9300 Nall Ave, Overland Park, KS 66207 on Saturday, October 3rd at 11:00 a.m. He will be interred at Jonesboro (AR) Memorial Park Cemetery at a later time.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to honor his memory by supporting the Fred J. Burress Scholarship in the Electrical Engineering Department at the University of Arkansas (link= bit.ly/4AqSsvz ). When giving online, please enter “In memory of Fred Burress” in the Memory/Honorary Information field. Checks should be payable to "University of Arkansas Foundation, Inc." Please write “In memory of Fred Burress” on the memo line and mail to: UA Gift Administration, 481 S. Shiloh Drive, Fayetteville, AR 72704.
