George Megrew Burgess, 92, of Winchester, passed away peacefully on February 24, 2022 surrounded by his family.
Born at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, George was an Army brat and followed his father’s assignments to Kansas, the Philippines, West Point, New York, Texas, Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia. It was in 1947 at Norfolk, Virginia where George met Joan Howard when both their parents were assigned to the Armed Forces Staff College.
After graduating from North Carolina State University in 1951 there were two significant life events for George. First, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. George was a distinguished veteran, with tours of duty in Korea and Viet Nam flying combat missions. Second, and the one thing he was most proud of, was his marriage, in Frankfurt, Germany, to Joan. After his retirement from the Air Force in 1975, George taught at Northern Virginia Community College and later worked ten years as a safety engineer for the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority. It was in retirement that George was able to dedicate himself to his lifelong hobby of designing and making things. He was the impetus making the restoration of the Cherry Hill Farm and Barn in Falls Church a success. His restoration of a centuries old farm house and period farm implements as well as hosting of school field trips were widely recognized by the community and a generation of school children. His passion for custom woodcraft continued during his time at Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury retirement community where he became a fixture at the woodworking shop. George will always be remembered for his willingness to design, make, and craft exquisite objects. George made benches, little free lending libraries, custom furniture and frames for the chapel, toys for great-grandchildren, and numerous “George, can you make one of these?” projects.
George is survived by his wife of 71 years, Joan, his three children, Phebe of Winchester, Louis (Kathy) of Okemos, Michigan, Gregg (Connie) of Lake Frederick, six grandchildren, and three great grandchildren.
Plans for a memorial service will be announced later. In George’s memory and in lieu of flowers the family requests any donations be sent to the Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury Foundation, 300 Westminster-Canterbury Drive, Winchester, VA 22603.
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