Donald A. Burgess' Obituary
Don Burgess- A friend
Donald A. Burgess, age 82 of Lewes, DE passed away on Sunday, May 29, 2016, at Beebe Healthcare, in Lewes, DE. He was born Saturday, September 9, 1933 in Borne England, son of the late George and Dorothy (Shepard) Burgess.
In keeping with his parents' beliefs, at the age of eleven, Don was sent to Ackworth School, a Quaker boarding school in the Yorkshire area. He sought to fulfill his military obligations through alternative services, including night duty in a mental hospital. He attended Durham University where he majored in Geography and Education. After a few years in the classroom, he accepted a position as headmaster at Happy Grove School, Jamaica, West Indies. At that time his daughter Alison was not yet two years old. He fondly remembered chasing her around the boat on their trip to England to Kingston. His son, Ian was born in Jamaica and will still have the occasional questions from border crossing officers wondering where he is hiding his stash of ganja.
Five years later Don moved with his family to Canada to teach at McGill University. During his first sabbatical, he earned his Doctoral Degree from Harvard. Don remained at McGill, teaching and advising graduate students, and fulfilling various administrative positions. In 1996 he retired to Burlington, VT, spending winters on Jekyll Island, GA. Eight years ago he moved to Cadbury Senior Lifestyles in Lewes. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend who will be missed by all who knew him.
In addition to his parents, Mr. Burgess was preceded in death by his brother, Peter Burgess. He is survived by his loving wife of 28 years, Judith (Pollard) Burgess, of Lewes, DE; two sons: Ian Burgess, of Montreal Canada and Garth Slaughter and his wife, Carolyn, of Indiana; two daughters: Alison Hickman, of Washington, DC and Lindsey Forshay and her husband, Andrew, of Marlton, NJ; his two grandchildren: Luke and Katrina Forshay; his brother, John Burgess, of England; his sister, Mary Bullard, of England; and his miniature schnauzer, Morgan.
All services are private.
Memorial contributions may be made to The Cadbury Foundation, 17028 Cadbury Circle, Lewes, DE 19958.
Please sign Mr. Burgess's online guest book located on this site.
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