Robert Burdett

Robert (Bob) Burdett was born in Port Kells, near Langley, British Columbia, on May 31, 1937, to parents George and Frances Burdett. With his older sister, Shirley, and his younger sister, Arleen, he told stories of growing up on the family farm, surrounded by the beauty of the area, as well as fun with cousins and friends. As a teen he worked with an uncle at a logging camp in the summers, and then after high school, joined the Canadian Air Force. He was selected for an intensive training and certification in the new field of electronics. He graduated at the top of his class, and was therefore allowed to select his way of travel to his new posting in Germany, he chose to travel by ship in first class! Serving in Germany, stationed in Baden Baden, he made many friends, both co-workers as well as locals in the area, that he stayed in contact with over the years. He had an MG sports car and would tell stories of driving through the Swiss Alps, where he met his lifelong friends the Arnolds, who took him skiing there in the Alps. He then met his future wife, Helga, who he married in a ceremony in Baden Baden, after winning over her Mother, Edith, who adored him. Bob and Helga returned to Germany often over the years, taking his Auntie Mary as well as his mother Frances along on some of the trips. After his tour was up, the couple returned to Canada for a brief time, and then relocated to Silicon Valley in California, where he put his electronics degree to good use, working for Ampex. Along the way, he had two children, a daughter, Christina, and a son, Clifford. He began to move into his own businesses after a while, starting an electronics repair shop with a friend, and then moving into buying properties, the first of which was a nursing home in Mt. View, and he enlisted his parents to come down from BC to help him run it. After that he purchased a motel in Mt. View, called the Moffit Motel, across from NASA’s Moffit field, and his parents moved to that, managing it for many years. His sister Arleen also came and ran the store on the property. About this time he obtained his pilot’s license, and purchased his plane, a cessna. He loved to fly, and even worked for an aircraft company for a time, ARC, traveling the country giving trainings. He would fly up to Canada, visiting his sister Shirley and her husband Roy and taking niece Linda and nephew David for rides in the plane. He always loved his first home in Canada, where he was surrounded by a large family of aunties and uncles and cousins, and stayed in touch with them over the years. He eventually purchased two motels in Oroville, Ca, the Travelers Motel and the Wonderland Motel. His parents moved to Oroville to manage the motels there. Bob also continued to work in Real estate, developing properties and rentals. Bob finally settled in Oroville himself, on a property he called his “Farm” and loved to spend his time tending his fruit trees, his beautiful roses, enjoying his cat, dog and sheep, as well as tinkering with cars and engines on the large property. After struggling with illness for several months, he was taken too quickly from us on Oct 25, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Helga, as well as children Christina and Clifford, and three grandchildren, Alexander, Jiselle and Brandon. Thank you for visiting. The family invites you to please share a memory, post a message, photos or comments on the Tribute wall, as well as to view the posts with pictures of his life.

 Cards, messages, etc. may be sent directly to:

 Helga Burdett 

110 SKYLINE BLVD OROVILLE, CA 95966 United States

 408-368-0553