Covenant News

Two Covenanters Among Egypt Air 990 Victims

VENICE, FL (November 8, 1999) - Two members of the Venice Island Covenant Church were passengers on the ill-fated flight of Egypt Air 990 that crashed October 31, Covenant News Service has confirmed.

Mr. and Mrs. Richard Burson were traveling with a group of 54 senior citizens as part of a packaged tour. The Bursons had traveled extensively overseas and this was to be their last overseas trip, according to their pastor, Rev. Neil Peterson.

"I was with them the week before, and Dick was telling me how excited they were about going on the trip," Peterson said. "After this trip, they were going to limit themselves to traveling in the United States."

Mrs. Burson (Lenore) was active in Covenant Women Ministries and in the choir, while her husband served as an usher. They had been members of the Venice Island church since moving to the area from Detroit in 1980. They had been married 57 years.

Peterson described the Bursons as upbeat and very well liked. "They were kind of an unusual couple," he recalled. "They were still very much in love, liked each other very much and were very kind to one another."

The Bursons are survived by three daughters - two in Michigan and one in Florida. "The family are all in shock," Peterson said. He suggested Covenanters pray for the family, "for facing the days ahead without them. They were a very close family."

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