William A. Burdette, 69, of Windham, died unexpectedly on Monday, February 3, 2014, from complications following surgery.
Bill was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where he met and married his high school sweetheart, Marjorie Browne, to whom he was married for 46 years.
He earned a PhD in Computer Science from Michigan State University, where through the school flying club he got his pilot’s license. He worked for Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, New Jersey, and North Andover, Massachusetts, staying with the company through its transformation into Lucent Technologies. After retiring from Lucent, he worked for Toyota of Nashua as an auto parts delivery driver and customer shuttle driver.
The family cottage at Lake Winnipesaukee occupied an important place in the life of Bill and his family. He enjoyed floating and boating on the lake, especially taking sunset cruises to his favorite ice cream parlors. Summer Sunday services at St. Johns-on-the-Lake, the island church, were a must. He was a master at finding a bargain, and he was a collector and consumer of frequent flyer miles, which allowed him to pursue another passion: travel. Recently, he particularly enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren.
Bill lived in Windham for the past 34 years. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie Burdette; daughter Valerie Burdette and her husband, Michael Jew; son Joel Burdette and his wife, Melissa; son Eric Burdette and his wife, Melissa; son Graham Burdette and his wife, Jennifer; his grandchildren, Emily, Isaac, Luke, and Miles; his brother, Stanley Burdette, Jr.; his sister, Lois Julius; as well as his cousins, nieces, nephews, and close friends.
A memorial service was held at Main Street United Methodist Church in Nashua on Saturday, February 15, at 10:30 am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Main Street United Methodist Church; or to St. John’s-on-the-Lake in Meredith, NH. The Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium of Derry and Londonderry is assisting the family with arrangements.