Richard David Burda

Richard David Burda born November 11, 1940 in Hollywood, California passed away in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, May 30, 2023 in Hickory, NC. Claire, his loving wife and partner of 35 years was by his side, holding his hand.

Richard was brilliant. He had a big personality and an even bigger heart. He was so funny. He led a very full and interesting life, from being a Federal Public Defender to later on in life a farmer. He knew the law and he knew how to fix a tractor. He was generous with his time and always with his resources. He believed in volunteering, a passion that began as a young man who ventured to Holland to work at a rehabilitation hospital for amputees to Ethiopia, to assist an orphanage with their water system. He cared deeply for animals, especially the plight of elephants. He was an avid collector of antique pocket watches. He was a devoted participant in the Bisbee Community Chorus. He was the “frontman” for our Saturday morning Farmer’s Market business. He particularly loved helping new moms pick out produce and then with great flourish and detail describe exactly how to cook whatever they had chosen. I would just laugh, he never cooked a vegetable in his life. He served on the Board of Directors for the East Valley YMCA in Los Angeles, California as well as the Chiricahua Community Health Centers, Inc. in Elfrida, Arizona.

He volunteered to teach civics to a group of elementary school children in McNeal , Arizona and assisted engineers from throughout the United States as they inspected damaged homes after the 1994 Northridge, CA earthquake. Richard lived being curious. He read the New Yorker Magazine cover to cover, he read any and all newspapers he could get his hands on. Later on in life he devoured podcasts and sudoku puzzles. He loved being a kingmaker, always making someone else look better than himself. He loved a good dinner party, with flowers, candles and cloth napkins. He was a proud member of AA with 34 years of sobriety under his belt. His life was spent fighting for the underdog, the unnoticed.

He was loved by his wife (Claire Foley of Hickory, NC), his son (Aaron David Burda of San Diego, CA), his sister (Susan Burda McCullough of Boulder, NV), his mother-in-law (Josephine Foley of Tucson, Arizona), sisters-in-law (Bobbie Young of Salinas, CA and Betty Voorhees of Tucson, Arizona), brother-in-law (Benny Young of Salinas, CA), nieces (Shannon Voorhees and Lexie Voorhees of Tucson, Arizona; Colleen Young and Audra McKinney of Tucson, Arizona; Anita Abdeen of Fairfax, VA), nephew ( William Voorhees of Tucson, Arizona), and great niece (Marissa Jones of Spokane, WA) as well as all who had the pleasure of calling him friend.

Richard is predeceased by his mother, Helen Maxine (Moore) Burda and his father Eugene Joseph Burda. Take care of him Helen.

Todavia estoy aqui - I am still here

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the World Wildlife Fund, Save The Children, the ACLU, or for that matter, anyone in need.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.neptunesociety.com/location/charlotte-nc-cremation for the Burda family.