The life of Gregory Lee Burrows is sort of a mystery. It’s clear he was a rugged man, a hunter, and all things outdoors but there isn’t much else much else about him in the public arena.
While there isn’t much to know about his life, what we know about his death is one for the ages. In fact, it’s downright epic. Here is his obituary from December 21, 2024:
Gregory Lee Burrows, 62, of the Rudy, Arkansas region of the Ozark National Forest, died on December 21, 2024, the Winter Solstice and the darkest day of the year. He was an engineer, an avid outdoorsman, Boy Scout council member, climbing instructor, and held the Silver Beaver scouting award. He died the way he intended to, fighting a 700lb grizzly bear.
The bear traversed from Alaska to Arkansas, taking rugged trails through the Rockies and swimming through Lake Eufaula, all undetected. Then he ran into Greg. Greg was aware of his fate the moment his eyes locked with the bear’s, but he was prepared for the challenge. Though he lost his life in the bear fight, Greg took the bear with him, plunging a knife into the bear’s heart with his final stabbing breath.
He was preceded in death by a daughter, Emily Burrows; and parents, Lee and Betty Burrows.
He is survived by his wife, Laurie Burrows; daughter, Courtney Katherine Burrows; sons, Scott and Richard Burrows; brother and sister-in-law, Rich and Jan Burrows; brother-in-law, Larry Nutt; niece, Jessie Burrows; nephew, Orrin Burrows; and great-nephew, Wyatt Burrows.
The funeral will be private for obvious reasons.
Donations may be made to the Natural State Boy Scout Council or the Hembree Cancer Center in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
We live in a cynical time where not everything is true. We attempted to verify the story but all we could find is that there are bears in Arkansas but no deaths have been recently reported. No other news outlets have covered the obituary so we aren’t telling you what to think but it would not be unique for the news cycle to slow to a crawl this time of year.
We think it’s epic and we honor Greg not for just how he lived…but how he died. We ask you to keep his family in your prayers. A loss this time of year is even more difficult.
