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Service Details

Memorial Service was held ~ 12:00pm
Kingdom Hall of Jehovahs Witnesses
5465 Ten Oaks Road
Clarksville, MD 21029

The Story

Don Burgess was born in Romney, WV on August 5, 1929 to Mahlon and Hale Burgess. He lived his early life in West Virginia, Western Maryland and Pennsylvania. At Fort Hill High School in Cumberland, MD, he met his lovely wife to be, Margaret Robinson, and they attended Frostburg State Teacher's College together, graduating in 1952. They were married on July 26th of that year and took up residence in Greenbelt, MD to begin their careers as educators. Don was a junior and high school teacher at High Point High School in Prince George's County, MD. During the Korean War years, Don served as a corporal in the Army Corp of Engineers at Fort Belvoir, VA in the Motor Pool. Don later worked as a researcher at Westinghouse Corporation and then began a 37 year career as an administrator in the Bladensburg and Upper Marlboro, MD offices of the Prince George's County School System. The family relocated to Dayton, MD in 1965 and he began "country livin'". He commuted daily in his red Toyota pick up truck until he retired from the school system in 1991. Then at the age of 64, he began working part-time at the Dayton, MD post office for over 15 years.

Don was very talented musically and played piano, bass drum, tympani, bass fiddle and organ. Throughout the years, he and Margaret played and sang with various bands ~ most recently with the Goldenaires based in Columbia, MD. Don also had many interests such as vegetable gardening, playing his organ at various functions and community days, vacations and trips with his family to beaches and mountains, fishing trout streams (and rivers from his jon boat), keeping up with their swimming pool and property and hosting an annual Summer family picnic ~ where he always made his delicious ice cream for all to enjoy!

Don was predeceased by a brother, Melvin, and by both of his parents. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Margaret June (Robinson) Burgess, 4 children - Stephanie (Dale) Pierce, Hilleary (Mindy Rosenfeld) Burgess, Timothy (Pamela) Burgess and Jennifer Caron (Trevor Lubbert), 11 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren and several cousins. Don (our Pip-Pip) will be remembered for his mild, steady demeanor, sense of humor, problem-solving skills and ability to maintain, organize and fix everything. Genuinely "a super human being", as a co-worker once fondly said of him.