Gerald R. “Jerry” Burden of Vancouver, Washington, passed away peacefully on August 8, 2019 at PeaceHealth Hospital in Vancouver after a brief illness. He was born September 11, 1940 to Thelma and Robert Burden in Mishawaka, Indiana. He grew up in the adjoining city of South Bend, Indiana, graduated from James Whitcomb Riley High School and earned a B.S. degree in Business from Indiana University.
Jerry served four years in the U.S. Air Force, graduating from a six-month technical school in the field of Aerospace Ground Equipment (AGE). After training at Lackland AFB, and Frances E. Warren AFB, Jerry served at Homestead AFB, Anderson AFB, and Bunker Hill AFB.
Jerry married the love of his life, Anna Marie (Royer) Davidson, on October 15, 1977, in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. They made their home in Tualatin, Oregon, until 1986 and then relocated to Orange County, California, with Jerry’s employment. On Jerry’s retirement in 2006, they moved to the golf course community of Fairway Village in Vancouver.
Jerry had a successful career in the building products industry, serving as corporate real estate and fleet manager of a national distributor with 47 branches in 34 states. He began his career at a branch in Elkhart, Indiana, advanced to a divisional headquarters in Corona, California, then to Corporate Headquarters in Portland, Oregon. A move of the headquarters took him to Orange County, California for 20 years.
An avid golfer, Jerry always worked on his game and had a single-digit handicap for several years. He also gave back to the game, serving as President for seven years of the SAPS Golf League in Portland, Oregon, and serving as Vice-President, President and Board member of the Fairway Village Men’s Golf Club.
Jerry was preceded in death by his parents; by his wife; by daughter, Christine Rene Nichols of Lafayette, Oregon; and by sisters, Anita Louise Curtis of Ellettsville, Indiana and Mary Ann Trensey of South Bend, Indiana.
Jerry is survived by his stepsister, Sue Ellen Knox of Reynoldsburg, Ohio; son, David (Lynette) Burden of Shepherdsville, Kentucky; stepdaughter, Cynthia Davidson of Auburn, California; stepson, Timothy Davidson of Vancouver; brother-in-law, Duane (Linda) Royer of Vancouver; sister-in-law, Cheryl (Dan) O’Donnell of Vancouver; one grandchild, one great-grandchild, four stepgrandchildren, six nieces and nephews and four stepnieces and nephews.
A Memorial Service will be held Tuesday, August 20th, 2019 at 12:30PM at Evergreen Memorial Gardens, 1101 NE 112th Avenue, Vancouver, WA 98684.
08/15/2019 JFC