Robert Carl Burgess

Bob Burgess was born in Winesap, Tennessee on June 21, 1917, 4 minutes later than his identical twin Herbert and last child of Isaac Jacob and Cora Burgess. He died September 14, 2012 at the age of 95 in Bellevue, WA. His family moved to Castleford Idaho in 1927. He was quite active in his youth, playing football, basketball, baseball, and track in high school. He earned a BA in education at Eastern Washington State College in Cheney WA, where he met, wooed and married Irene Marjorie (Wegner) Burgess. They had been married 59 years when Irene died in 2001. He received an M. Ed. in education from the University of Washington in 1952 and attended a Harvard University Graduate School of Education summer course in 1968. Bob's profession was in education; he was a teacher, camp director, and eventually the Assistant Superintendent of Personnel and Special Services of the Highline Public Schools until he retired in 1975. He was known for his hard work, honesty, and dedication to his job and family, and for his innate kindness and warmth as a human being. He received a citation for outstanding service to the handicapped for his instrumental role in starting Woodside School, one of the first schools for special needs children. He lived in Burien in his dream house from 1956-1999, when he moved to the Garden Club, a retirement apartment in Bellevue, and recently to the assisted living facility, Emeritus in Bellevue. He was active in the Burien-White Center Rotary Club and was named Highline Man of the Year in 1960. He loved golf, watching sports on TV, and was a wonderful gardener. He is survived by three children, Richard Burgess (Ann) of Madison, WI, Linda Cook (David) of Bellevue, WA, and Mary Klug (Malcolm) of Bellevue, WA; and 6 grandchildren: Kristin (Jim) McBride and Andreas (Sadia Shepard) Burgess, Chris (Jenny) Ampersand and Megan (Emmanuel) Nikiema, and Alan (Leah) Klug and Katie Klug. He was preceded in death by grandson Michael Cook. He missed the births of his first three great grandchildren by about a month.