Community remembers Deloye Burrell's commitment to city, neighbors

There typically aren’t many funerals at which street paving and sidewalk construction come up at all, much less several times.

But that is likely the way Deloye Burrell would have wanted it.

Burrell, a long-time Vestavia Hills resident, passed away on April 18 at the age of 75. He was born in 1943 in Roxboro, North Carolina and is survived by his wife of 50 years, Diane, his son Michael, daughter-in-law Erinn and granddaughter Zoe.

Burrell was an active participant in numerous facets of civic life in Vestavia Hills. At the time of his death, he was a serving member of the Vestavia Hills Planning and Zoning Commission, a position he was appointed to in 2004, giving him the second-longest tenure on the commission since the city was incorporated.

In 2014, Burrell was named Member of the Year by the Vestavia Hills Chamber of Commerce and served for a time as a Chamber trustee. He was named to the Alabama Board of Examiners for Assisted Living Administrators in 2011, served on the steering committee that created the Cahaba Heights community master plan and served for more than 20 years with Alabama Public Radio’s Alabama Radio Reading Service, reading news for the visually impaired.

Burrell attended Georgia Institute of Technology from 1961 to 1965 and graduated from Georgia State University in 1972 with a degree in journalism.

Professionally, Burrell had an extensive career as a freelance photographer, capturing action at football games at the college and professional levels, taking interior design photographs for Southern Living and following such figures as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On May 15, Burrell’s family and members of the community hosted a celebration of life at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, where friends and neighbors shared their memories of Burrell and how he influenced the community.

From taking city officials to task over the need to repave a street or improve stormwater infrastructure to visiting elementary school classes to talk about his career, community members from all walks of life shared how Burrell touched their lives.

City Councilor Kimberly Cook recalled being “interviewed” by Burrell when she decided to run for office in 2016. She said she treasures his guidance on how to best serve the community, as well as getting a “grand tour” of every nook and cranny of the city.

“More than anything else, he helped Cahaba Heights, and others in our city, find their voice in government,” Cook said. “He wasn’t at the podium making speeches, because that’s not where he needed to be, but he was in our corner.”

Like Cook, City Manager Jeff Downes said he also got the “grand tour” of Vestavia Hills from Burrell, who showed him the areas the city should pay attention to with regard to development and zoning.

“What Deloye did, was he fell in love with his community” Downes said, “[and] he wanted to make sure that love and that passion was contagious.”

Family and friends of Burrell, along with the Cahaba Heights Community Foundation, have set up the Deloye Burrell Memorial Fund, which will be used to plant trees and beautify spaces in Cahaba Heights. For more information, visit cahabaheightscf.org.