Brett Eaton Burlingame

Brett Eaton Burlingame left us on Saturday, March 23, 2019, the last thing to go the ever-present glimmer in his marine blue eyes. That same glimmer that had been there since his birth in St Johnsbury, Vermont on November 2, 1959 to Nancy and James Burlingame, treasured and spoiled younger brother to Viviannia “Bonnie” Fleming, Aurora “Sandy” Curran and James "Blair" Burlingame.

The genealogy of the “Boy who Lived” powered his enduring love of salt, sand and the sea. That glimmer became more of a raging mischievous twinkle once he became an uncle, able to get his twelve nieces and nephews, and nine grand-nieces and nephews, in on his adventures and games. They and each of his friends could tell a story of getting into some kind of innocent trouble whether it was with the Gung Ho Captain himself smuggling out the sailboat for a midnight jaunt, watching scary movies or driving before their time.

Brett was always a mix of antebellum, gentlemanly values and modern mores. He would be the first to tell you he was a trend-setter. He knew FOMO before it was a popular acronym.

Always in the mix, you could count on Brett being at every event whether playing the drums, or participating in a protest or a party or a protest that became a party.

You could also say he wrote the Preppy Handbook (Brooks Brothers stockholders take note, you have lost one of your most reliable customers). Brett loved fun and he loved friends. If these weren’t there when he arrived at a workplace, they were certainly there by the time he left, as anyone who worked with him over his years at Omni Hotels, the Ritz Carlton, or the Seaside Inn can attest. Brett’s kindness and thoughtfulness garnered him fierce loyalty, and the generous staff at Sea Mist Resort were among those that returned it tenfold. As one of his managers once put it: “his daily chocolate runs are a source of relief and calories among the staff”, a trend he continued until his last days with the lovely nurses at the CCH Chemotherapy Unit. That very same glimmer in his eyes was also a tell-tale sign of the dogged determination and tenacity that kept him fighting through three years of Stage 4 throat cancer.

An accomplished sleepwalker, we hope he may now rest, walking only to visit us in our dreams. A big part of Brett’s life was lifting others through adversity. As such, the family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the James Burlingame Scholarship Fund at St Johnsbury Academy in Vermont or your local Visiting Nurse Hospice; and that today and every day we each smile and wave to at least one stranger, that Brett’s lasting legacy be one of kindness to all, perfect and imperfect.

Brett lived long enough in the South to know that now is the time for us to celebrate life; and he lived long enough in the North to have lifelong friends to do this for him. Family and friends are invited to join us on June 02, 2019 at the Wianno Club Golf House, 389 Parker Road, Osterville, MA 02655 from 5:30-7:30pm.