Joseph Ralph Burns, of Lincoln, was born on December 23, 1944 and passed away on December 4, 2020 after many serious illnesses over the last two years. Ralph handled himself throughout this time with strength, fortitude, and courage. He was known for his keen intellect and wit. Ralph and his wife Barbara Letterie lived for approximately 30 years in Arlington, MA where they brought up their daughter Rachel and were members of the Bishop school community. Before this, Ralph grew up in Cambridge, MA and graduated from Cambridge High and Latin where he was active in drama. Ralph went on to Harvard College where he received his BA in English in 1966. With the Vietnam War raging, Ralph was sent to Vietnam in 1968 where he served honorably. Later on, Ralph met Barbara and they married in 1982. Ralph worked professionally with distinction as a technical writer and senior software engineer for several firms including Wellfleet Communications/Bay Networks and Oracle Corp from where he retired in 2014. He enjoyed traveling with his wife and spending precious time in their new home in Lincoln, MA with his children and all 3 grandchildren. Ralph is survived by his wife of 38 years, Barbara, daughter Rachel Bunker, and son-in-law Josh Bunker, son Christopher Burns, and daughter-in-law Rachel Ostrow as well as grandchildren Desmond, Charlotte and Petra. Ralph was laid to rest during a private burial service with military honors on December 11, 2020 at Lincoln Cemetery. A memorial service to honor his life will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Boston Partners in Education (bostonpartners.org), which works to level the educational playing field for kids in the Boston Public School system, particularly those impacted by Covid. Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.