William F. Burkhardt, Sr.

William (Bill) Frederick Burkhardt, 91, a longtime resident of Beaumont, recently a resident of San Marcos, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 18, 2018, at Brookdale San Marcos North.

Bill was born during the Great Depression in Woodbury, New Jersey on May 17, 1926, the oldest of five children, to Herman and Christine (Henkel) Burkhardt. He graduated from Gloucester City High School, NJ, in June, 1944, two months after enlisting for duty in World War II. He proudly served the next two years in the Army Air Force, where, after training at Lowery Field in Denver CO and in Harlingen Texas as a remote gunner on B29 aircraft, he received an honorable discharge with the rank of Sergeant. He continued to serve his country another three years in the Air Force Reserve, during which time he met his future wife of sixty-three years, Kathryn Callaghan, whom he married in 1948.

While married, he went to college on the GI bill and received a Bachelor of Science degree with Honors in Chemistry in June, 1951 from Ursinus College in Pennsylvania; a week after graduation he began employment as a Chemist at E.I. DuPont, where he worked for the next forty years. He retired as a senior engineer in Beaumont in 1991 and lived there until shortly after the passing of Kathryn in 2011.

He moved his family to Texas in 1960, where he raised his three children, William Jr., James, and Stephen, and where he ultimately became a proud grandfather.

He was deeply involved in his faith and served his parish in numerous ways; along with his wife Kathryn, he was a Lector for Sunday services; he served for years as a Deacon at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Beaumont, where for a time he was in charge of the Parish’s Eucharistic Ministers.

After retirement he served as a Process Safety Consultant for DuPont, during which he traveled extensively, bringing his knowledge and expertise to companies such as Boeing; Bill also served for ten years as one of the original members of the Jefferson County Local Emergency Planning Committee, charged with planning and coordinating hazardous chemical response in Jefferson County, TX.

Bill was blessed with charm and possessed an underlying kindness that was immediately noticed. He had a great sense of humor and made people at ease with his calm manner, jokes, and laughter, yet through years of experience and safety training, he was always aware and careful to protect his family, friends, and neighbors. For example, when a gas station and tanker exploded close by, heimmediately notified neighbors and insisted the families evacuate due to the danger.

He was devoted to his wife and family, as all around them knew; he and Kathryn guarded and assisted each other through their twilight years. He loved his country and tried to see all of it; he loved history and he loved nature, camping, cooking, little league, and just being a father and grandfather. The Holidays were a special time for him and his wife – Bill and Kate – and everyone enjoyed their company. They always kept a happy home and could be counted on for kindness and love.

Bill gave aid and assistance to countless charities; animals were instinctively drawn to him and loved him. They seemed to know he could be trusted. As often as possible, he would take the family dogs to the Blessing of the Animals at St. Pius X Catholic Church. He was proud to walk his dogs and looked after them as members of his family.  As an avid birdwatcher, he enjoyed countless hours watching the endless variety of creatures that would come to his backyard for food and water.

Since his youth, he was brave, pleasant, kind, and considerate.  He is still greatly loved and will be missed by all he touched.

Bill is survived by his three sons, William; James and his wife, Leslie, and her son, Cade; and Stephen; his grandchildren, Hillary and Coridon; his brother, Fred; and his sisters, Eleanor and Dorothy, and their families.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Kathryn; parents, Christine and Herman Burkhardt; and his brother, Harry.

A gathering of Mr. Burkhardt’s family and friends will be from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., with his Christian Vigil at 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, April 24, 2018, at Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont. His funeral service will be 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, April 25, 2018, at Broussard’s, with his interment to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to The Humane Society of Southeast Texas, P.O. Box 1629, Beaumont, Texas 77704.