Local News, Obituaries

Obituary: Kurt Burdack, age 68

Kurt A. Burdack, 68, passed away peacefully Thursday, Oct. 31, at Rutland Regional Medical Center.

His family will celebrate his life privately. Family and friends will meet at Killington Peak at a later date.

He was born in Orange, New Jersey, on May 1, 1951, son of Arthur Walter Burdack and Bernadine Betty (Karg) Burdack. He grew up in Morris County, New Jersey and graduated from Whippany Park High School. He raised his family in Ridgewood, New Jersey for over 20 years.

Strongly attracted to the spiritual life led by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Kurt Burdack  attended and graduated witah a B.S. from Maharishi University in Fairfield, Iowa. A-lifelong practitioner of transcendental meditation, he qualified as a teacher and spread the benefits of this restorative method to family and friends. He recently traveled to India to learn about the culture from which this technique arose.

Burdack liked to solve others’ problems and became a commercial real estate salesman for CBRE, Inc. in 1980. Good at building long term relationships and trust with his clients, many considered Kurt a pioneer of tenant representation. He always placed the need of his clients before anything else. After 39 years at CBRE, Kurt retired in January as a senior vice president. Coworkers described him as optimistic, trustworthy, a stand-up man and a good listener. He was reliable and his big smile and wry humor will be greatly missed.

Burdack loved well-engineered cars, rock music and skiing. He began regular trips to Killington in his 20s. He bought a house with a view of the mountain in 1980 and came up every time he could, vowing to reside here for retirement, which he did two years ago. He was happy with his life and friends in Vermont.

Surviving are son Andrew Burdack of New York, New York; daughter Olivia Burdack of Wyckoff, New Jersey; a sister Karen Burdack of Azle, Texas; and cousins Deborah Gioioso of Red Bank, New Jersey and Mark Burdack, of Warminster, Pennsylvania.

The family offers sincere appreciation to Rutland Regional Medical Center, University of Vermont Medical Center at Burlington and The Pines at Rutland as well as all the many friends who assisted us during his illness.  Burdack donated his organs and thus continues to help Vermonters in medical need. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Stroke Association or Maharishi Foundation USA Inc. charities.

Arrangements are by the Clifford Funeral Home in Rutland.

Mountain Times Newsletter

Sign up below to receive the weekly newsletter, which also includes top trending stories and what all the locals are talking about!