Edwin Gordon Burdette

Edwin Gordon Burdette was born September 8, 1934, to Reuben Coleman Burdette and Charline Vivian Kennedy Burdette and died on May 18, 2018. He was born in the community of Mt. Pelia outside of Martin, Tennessee, and he attended what was then the University of Tennessee Martin Branch. In 1954 he transferred to the main campus at Knoxville where, on the first weekend, he met Patsy Louella Hill. On March 23, 1957, he married Patsy Hill, and together they had five children: David Edwin, Mary Allison, Jonathan Hill, Hillary Louella, and Kevin Daniel. Edwin is survived by Patsy and these five children as well as by children-in-law William Sapp (Allison), Shona Simpson (Jonathan), Robert Whitaker (Hillary), and Natalia Cortez Burdette (Kevin), an even dozen grandchildren: Alexandra, Jackson, Amelia, and Bowen (David), Hillary, Hayes, and Harper (Allison), Fiona, Elspeth, and Jessie (Jonathan), Louella (Hillary), and Isla (Kevin), and grandsons-in-law Michael Martin and Taylor Warren. Also surviving him is his older brother James Reuben Burdette of Martin, Tennessee. Edwin was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Mary Jane Haley. Edwin was known as Ed by Patsy, friends, in-laws, and colleagues, Dad by his children, Papa by his grandchildren, and Dr. Burdette by his many students. His first love and what he considered his highest and best responsibility was as a husband and dad. As he grew old, he felt a certain amount of inner satisfaction in having been involved in the lives of his children as they grew up and in having had the honor and enjoyment of working alongside Patsy to provide the nurture and encouragement to help them fulfill their potential. His profession, to which he dedicated himself with considerable energy and pleasure, was teaching; he taught Civil Engineering at The University of Tennessee for more than a half century, touching the lives of hundreds of students. He was also a dedicated Sunday School teacher. He and Patsy taught the Young Married class at First Baptist Church Knoxville for about a dozen years, and for the past twenty-five years he has taught the Friendship Class at Concord United Methodist Church where many bonds of friendship and mutual respect were formed. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 26, at Concord United Methodist Church, 11020 Roane Drive, Knoxville, TN 37934. Visitation at 10:00. Service at 11:30. Private interment to follow service. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to the endowed graduate fellowship in Civil Engineering that was created in 1994 in Ed Burdette's name, with checks made payable to the UT Foundation and mailed to Engineering Development, 1506 Middle Drive, 118 Perkins Hall, Knoxville, TN 37996-2012.

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Edwin Gordon Burdette

September 8, 1934 - May 18, 2018