This might be the longest we have gone without a post but there are good reasons: life, life, life, life as our little brother likes to say!
Our trip last July, 2014 took an unexpected turn as I was called to my father-in-law's bedside in Lowell, Kansas to be with him on his journey home. The experience was amazing and my sweet sister came to be with me the last few days.
Burgis was such an amazing man --- father, husband, special friend, grandfather, father-in-law, great-grandfather, mentor, spiritual guide and community leader!
He served in WWII in Northern Italy and the Caribbean, had a long career with B. F. Goodrich in Miami, OK and listened to God's call to service in the Kansas Yearly Meeting of Friends (Quakers) and in his local meeting, Lowell Friends Church. He retired with just as much panache by volunteering for many years with Meals on Wheels, the Thrift Store, the Rural Water District, and as community board member spearheading the building of a wonderful skilled nursing center where he later was a proud resident.
His life was not without difficulty. His beloved wife, Rosa Mae, passed away after a short illness in August, 2004, his daughter, Pattie, died after a valiant battle with breast cancer in 2008, and his son died after a 17 month illness with prostate cancer in April, 2010. He was a hero to many for his courage during these losses and his bright and shining testimony to God's perfect timing and love.
Burgis left this life on Sunday, July 27, at the age of 94 1/2 wordlessly speaking to those in Heaven whose faces were shining before him and welcoming him home.
It was was my joy and honor to care for his well-being in the last few years of his life. His legacy encompasses his son-in-law Duane, his daughter-in-law Kay, six grandchildren, their spouses and many great-grandchildren as well as a host of relatives and friends influenced by this gentle man's life.
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