Charles (Chuck) Ross Burand September 13, 1936 ~ January 19, 2024

Charles (Chuck) Ross Burand died January 19, 2024 of cancer.  He was born September 13, 1936, in Scotland County, NC. 
He spent his early years in North Carolina and Alabama until he, his mother, and father moved to the interior of Alaska to homestead in Manley Hot Springs.  While in Alaska, he spent his time trapping, hunting, and living off of the land. 
From Alaska he and his parents moved to New Mexico, which led him to his high school years at the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI). 
There he met lifelong friends and was a lasting supporter of NMMI.  He was particularly proud when his son and grandson followed in his footsteps at NMMI as legacy cadets. 
After graduating from NMMI, Chuck joined the Army and was deployed overseas as a US Army Ranger.  Upon finishing his military tour of duty, he lived in New Mexico, Tennessee, and Arkansas while working in uranium mining, crushed stone mining, welding, sales, and rodeoing in his free time. 
In 1984 he moved to Monument Valley, followed by Mexican Hat and Monticello. 
During his years in Utah, he got involved in hot air ballooning and made more lifelong friends.  He was instrumental in popularizing tourism in Monument Valley and enjoyed spending time with his many Navajo friends who called him Cheii. 
He was also a tourist attraction in his own right with visitors vying to take their picture with the old cowboy.  Chuck then moved to Monticello, UT, where he was a general contractor, architect, and builder of custom homes. 
He spent his remaining years at 7,000 feet in his home by the Monticello golf course, where he loved the crisp mountain air and cool summers.
Chuck is survived by his sons Chris (Mari), Charles (Ann), and Corey (Erin), and daughter Carin (Drew), eight grandchildren, four great grandchildren, and numerous lifelong friends and “kids” he met through NMMI, mining, ballooning, Monticello, and his many life adventures.
Chuck always said that he was the luckiest guy he knew to have lived the lives he lived.  He will be remembered as a father, friend, writer, artist, storyteller, entrepreneur, and builder. 
We also will remember him for his never-ending love of family and friends in addition to his comical t-shirts, including one favorite: “My people skills are just fine; it’s my tolerance for idiots that needs work.”