Frederick Otto Burgess' Obituary
Frederick (Fred) Otto Burgess, of Leesburg, Virginia, passed on Tuesday, August 1, 2023. He was 85.
Fred was born in Harlingen, Texas on Friday, April 22, 1938. He was a graduate of San Benito High School in 1956 and Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) in 1960. Fred then enlisted in the United States Army in 1961. He served in the U.S. Army for 30+ years, rising to the rank of Colonel, and served in the Vietnam War. Fred later became a teacher for U.S. Army and Air Force personnel based in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, specializing in combat operations and logistics. He spent the tail end of his career in Army laboratory research as a civil servant. Fred retired in 2001.
In retirement, Fred gathered and refined a palate of interests that kept him busy for the remainder of his life. He was a lover of animals, rescuing several dogs and cats who resided with him and his wife Virginia Burgess over the years. Fred was civically informed and engaged, participating in elections at local, state, and national levels. Owing to that sense of civic responsibility, Fred was patriotic and dedicated to ensuring his country, state, and community would be left in a better place for younger generations. His greatest passion was genealogy, where he defined family trees back to the 1700s and inspired others to research their own family histories.
He is predeceased by his wife Virginia Burgess, his son Scott Burgess, and his parents Otto and Opal (Dick) Burgess.
He is survived by his brother, Warren Burgess; stepchildren: David (Susan) May, Jennifer (Jim) Bliss, Jerry May, and Ashlee Cook; and beloved in-laws Carl and Anne Cox and their children Carla (Britton) Formisano and Andrew Cox. He is also survived by seven grandchildren and one great grandchild.
Services were held at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.loudounfuneralchapel.com.
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