Neal Frederick Burgess

Neal F. Burgess, 83, of Columbia, passed away peacefully Monday, March 17, 2014, with his loving family at his side after his courageous and hard fought battle with pancreatic cancer. He was born in Springfield, Mass., July 12, 1930, the oldest son of the late William and Marguerite Burgess. After graduating from West Springfield High School he attended Norwich University where he graduated with a degree in English and as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. He served in the Korean conflict as a platoon leader and received several commendations including the National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, UN service ribbon, and the ROK PRES Unit Citation. He was honorably discharged from the United States Army in 1954. Earlier in 1952 he married his high school sweetheart, Joyce Hirsch. Together they moved to Manchester, CT where they started a family and raised their three children. During this time he coached Little Miss Softball, was active in various civic organizations and was a long-time member of South United Methodist Church. His priorities always centered around his wife and three children. In 1965 he and Joyce bought a cottage on Columbia Lake so he and his family as well as their many wonderful friends could share and enjoy summer activities. These activities included many years of sail boat racing for the Columbia Lake Sailing Club as well as his leadership role as the Commodore. He started his career at National Cash Register and later purchased Allied Store Engineering with his partner and long-time friend, Don Wennik. He ran his business the way he ran his life with great honesty, integrity and always focused on doing the right thing. In his retirement years he enjoyed his part time job at Columbia Ford where he cherished his many friends and coworkers. He was predeceased by his wife Joyce Burgess in 2006. He is survived by his children Lyn Robinson, Carlene Burgess and Dave Burgess; son-in-law Clarke Robinson and daughter-in-law Barbara Burgess; his brother Bill Burgess and his lovely wife Patti; his grandchildren including Laura (Robinson) Sczurek and her husband Jon, Neal Robinson, Chris Metivier, Jeannine Metivier, Christine (Burgess)Hayden and her husband Steve, Joanna Burgess along with two great-grandchildren Nicholas David Burgess, Tristan Neal Hayden and many special nieces and nephews. We will remember this great man for his sense of humor, incredibly positive attitude, the code of ethics by which he lived, his infectious laugh, his heart of gold and his amazing love and support for all those he touched. His family will receive relatives and friends on Thursday March 20, 2014 between 5:00 and 7:00pm at Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson St. (Rte. 195) Willimantic. His funeral service will take place on Friday at 11:00am at South United Methodist Church, 1226 Main St., Manchester. Interment will be at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, his family suggests memorial donations to American Association For Cancer Research Foundation, 615 Chestnut St., 17th Floor, Philadelphia, PA. 19106 or www.aacrfoundation.org . For an online memorial guestbook and further details, please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com .