Thought I'd share this sad piece of info. Most of us Pittsburghers grew up with either Patti or her dad Bill Burns as part of our daily lives. > > Former News Anchor Dies 10/31/01 Patti Burns, 49, died at her home in Pittsburgh today, October 31 from cancer. She retired from broadcasting in 1997. Since then her company, Burns Communications has served as an adviser/instructor on public media communications for several clients. She is survived by her husband, Charles Cohen of Pittsburgh; her mother, Jeanne Burns of Naples, Florida and a brother, Michael Burns of Pittsburgh. Her father, Bill Burns, passed away in September 1997. A memorial service will be held at The Carnegie (Forbes Avenue in Oakland) on Sunday, December 9 at 5:30pm. Memorial contributions are suggested for:Today's news from WPXI-TV Center for Complementary Medicine at Shadyside Hospital 5215 Center Avenue, Family Health Center Bldg. Pittsburgh, PA 15232 School for Blind Children 201 N. Bellefield Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 Animal Friends 2643 Penn Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4621 Greater Love Outreach C/o Marie Upshur 715 Mercy Street, Apt. 813 Pittsburgh, PA 15219 Radio Information Services for the Blind 2100 Wharton Street, Suite 140 Pittsburgh, PA 15203 Patti Burns was one of the most recognizable faces in Pittsburgh broadcasting. She started her 22-year career at KDKA-TV in 1974. The Pittsburgh native joined her father, the late Bill Burns, on the anchor desk as the first father-daughter anchor team in 1976. Bill Burns died just months after Patti Burns left KDKA in 1997. But even though she left the station, she stayed active in Pittsburgh. Patti Burns was a strong advocate of the regional tax initiative, which would have raised the county's sales tax a half-cent to help pay for two new stadiums. That measure failed. Patti Burns battled in life as she did in that political battle, facing several health issues. In 1994, she had a benign tumor removed. Then last April, she began undergoing treatment for cancer, when she discovered a lump above her collarbone. It was found to be malignant. And while she continued through therapy to be involved in the community, eventually the cancer proved to be too much. We here at WPXI express our condolence to the Burns family in this time of loss. ************************************** Donna