Masae Gata Burnham (nee Suipi) was born in American Samoa on June 25th 1934.  She was the youngest child of Gata and Sina Suipi.  At age 19, Masae left for Hawaii to live for a short time with an aunt before joining the U.S. Navy as a Wave.  Her basic training and first tour was in Norfolk, Virginia.  Eventually, Masae (who was affectionately known as Sae) was sent to Southern California to support her recovery from tuberculosis.  It was there, actually in the VA hospital, that she met her future husband, Lawrence Burnham, who was a World War II veteran visiting a friend at the time.  The two were married in early 1960.  They had one child, Margaret Sina.  Masae was widowed in March 1966.  Thereafter, Masae remained in Southern California, mostly working in the Medical Records department of Queen of Angels hospital in Los Angeles.  She was a faithful member of Sherman Oaks Lutheran church for many years, and expressed her spiritual gifts through music as a member of the choir.

 After retiring from Queen of Angels, Masae migrated to Indiana to live with her daughter’s family in Indianapolis.  There, she joined Pleasant View Lutheran church to support the life of that church, mostly by sharing her Christian spiritual wisdom gained over the years through a disciplined life of prayer.  Indeed, any conversation with Masae included her gentle sharing of her deep faith in the Lord Jesus as her savior and “special friend, the Man upstairs.”  Her deep convictions of her faith were matched by her humor, which can best be characterized as the good and not so good of one’s life need not be taken too seriously:  our blessings are cause for gratitude; our mistakes are the source of funny stories and enable us to extend kindness to others in need.  Masae passed away on August 30th of complications from vascular dementia, a disease she met with courage, and acceptance of her mortality and faith in her promised immortality.  Masae is survived by her daughter, three grandchildren (Troy, Robyn and Jeffrey), and a great grandson (Sterling).

 A memorial service will be held on Monday, September 12, 2016 at Pleasant View Lutheran Church at 1 pm. Arrangements entrusted to Indiana Funeral Care