William Jerome Burgan

Jerry was the second of 5 children, with older sister Louise and younger sisters Mary Kay and Kathy, and younger brother Jeff.

The Burgan family moved to Pomona, California where Jerry met Michael Stewart, younger brother of the Kingston Trio’s Jon Stewart. The two began playing music together in the 8th grade, on a banjo and tenor guitar.

In the Summer of 1961 Jerry served as a Navy Sea Cadet, intending to follow in the footsteps of his uncle Gene Miller. Upon returning home he decided to forgo military service and pursue music instead.

Mike Stewart and Jerry started college together at the University of San Francisco in 1963, where they met Bob Jones, Pete Fullerton and Beverly Bivens, forming The Ridgerunners – a group that would eventually become We Five and record the hit, “You were on my mind”.

Jerry met his future wife, Deborah Graf, in Glendora, California in the Summer of 1965. She was the lead singer in a friend’s band and the first person with whom he didn’t have to separate his love of music. He was of course immediately in love. They were married in Glendora in 1966.

Jerry and Debbie relocated to San Francisco after their marriage, where their son Christopher was born. Beverly Bivens left We Five in 1966 and Debbie was asked to take her place.

The couple toured together throughout the 60s and 70s, with We Five as well as in their duo, The Burgans, and trio, Burgans & Chan with their good friend Tholow Chan. Jerry and Debbie bought their house in Glendora in 1971.

Jerry started working in job placement at Snelling and Snelling in Pasadena in 1980. This lead to a long career in the health products industry, including Leiner Health Products, where he eventually became a Sr Director of Pharmaceutical Development, working for the company for 22 years. He and Debbie continued to perform on occasion with We Five and were involved in the worship ministry at First Baptist Church of Glendora and as a gospel quartet with Jimmy and Robin Dunn.

Jerry and Debbie’s second child, Jeremy, was born in 1981. Jerry then returned to University of San Francisco to finish his degree in Marketing. Their daughter, Jessica, was born in 1983, completing the family of 5.

Jerry was baptized in the Baptist church in 1989 where he also served as a Deacon and Elder throughout his many years of membership.

Following his career at Leiner, Jerry was once again able to invest in his music full-time. He released a solo album, “Reflections, Songs and Stories” in 2011, and published “Wounds to Bind” in 2014, his memoirs of the folk-rock revolution. He continued performing material from Songs and Stories, in collaboration with many friends and family members, until the end of his life.

Jerry passed away on Monday, March 29, after a series of strokes and a paralyzing neck injury. Jerry is survived by his sisters Kathy and Mary Kay, his brother Jeff, his wife Deborah Burgan, his son Christopher Burgan and wife Jennifer Burgan, his son Jeremy Burgan and wife Courtney Burgan, and his daughter Jessica Garcia and husband Jared Garcia and their daughters Mabel and Harriet Garcia.