Burnis J. Harkon, better known as "Burnie" to his family and friends, was born October 4, 1917, at Sheldon, Iowa to George and Julia (Farnsworth) Harkin, one of fifteen children.

He grew up in the Wanblee, South Dakota area. After his father's death in 1937, he moved to Alliance, Nebraska. Burnie worked for the Hall Cattle Company southwest of Alliance.

He was united in marriage to Eleanor Vifquain on January 21, 1942, at Alliance, Nebraska.

In 1943 he and his brother, Leo, purchased the Barringer Transfer Company which they operated until 1947 when they sold the company. He then purchased a dude ranch near Spearfish, South Dakota called the Crow Peak Lodge. In 1948, they moved back to Alliance where he went to work for Union Freightways as terminal manager. In 1960 Pacific Intermountain Express bought out the Union Freightways, and Burnie was transferred to Denver, Colorado. He worked in Denver in the trucking industry for 20 years before retiring in 1980 and moving back to South Dakota where he and Eleanor grew up and enjoyed being home again.

Burnie was an avid sportsman and enjoyed hunting, always providing his family with abundant venison, fowl and fish. He took an interest in photography and learned to develop his own pictures in his darkroom. He enjoyed travel and traveled the United States from east to west. He loved horses and spent many hours in the saddle both for pleasure and to help his neighbors move cattle, and after years of being a "cowboy", he had horses for leisure. He and his wife, Eleanor, went on numerous trail rides and wagon trains and they rode more than 800 miles on the 1989 South Dakota Centennial wagon train, and were the oldest couple on the train to go that far.

Bernie was an instructor for the Hunter's Safety Course and enjoyed teaching the young people the proper ways of handling fire arms. He was a member of the Volunteer Fire Department both in Alliance and Interior and also a member of the Eagles Club.

They made yearly trips to Oregon to visit some of their children from 1967 through 1992. He also accumulated many wood-working tools over the years and after retirement, put them to good use making many cherished momentos for family and close friends.

Bernie and Eleanor loved to square dance and danced for more than 50 years. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary of January 21st in July of 1992 in Denver so that all family members could be there with them while they renewed their vows in an emotional ceremony.

Burnie was always in exceptional good physical health. We all thought he could live forever. He was a strict but loving father and husband and will always be missed and remembered by all as "way above the average" because, when asked how he was the reply was always "way above the average". That was always his opinion and ours too.

Grateful for having shared his life are his wife, Eleanor of Interior; two daughters, Barbara Manley of Lake Oswego, Oregon, and Mary Beth Perkins of Denver, Colorado; seven sons: Joe and Bill Harkin of Vancouver, Washington, and George, Victor, Pat, Jerry and Ricky Harkin, all of Denver, Colorado; 20 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren; three brothers, Leo Harkin of Interior, Jack Harkin of Talent, Oregon, and Ed Harkin of San Diego, California; two sisters, Edith Kurschner of Littleton, Colorado, and Lanore Ingwerson of Ainsworth, Nebraska.

Mass of Christian Burial
Friday, January 22, 1993
2:00 p.m.
Interior Grade School Gym
Interior, South Dakota

Celebrant
Father Paul Manhart, S.J.

Music
Dorothy Shearer - Organist
Chuck Farruggia - Vocalist

Ushers
Charles Carlbom - Kelly Fortune

Active Pallbearers
Joe Harkin - Bill Harkin
George Harkin - Victor Harkin
Pat Harkin - Gerald Harkin
Ricky Harkin - Scott Perkins
Larry Manley

Honorary Pallbearers
All relatives and friends in attendance

Interment
Interior Cemetery
Interior, South Dakota