Charles William Burgin

Columbus, GA- Charles William Burgin died Sunday, January 3, 2016, at his residence. Funeral services will be held at St. Paul United Methodist Church on Wednesday, January 6, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. with The Rev. Dr. P. Shane Green, The Rev. Dr. Edwin M. Cooper, Jr., and The Rev. John Fugh, Jr. officiating. Private interment will follow at Parkhill Cemetery, according to Striffler-Hamby Mortuary. William Thomas Boyter, Robert F. Burgin III, Jed Gilbert Harris III, Eric Channing Kilgore, Larry Alan King, and West Wilcox Pryor will serve as Pallbearers. The family will receive friends at their home.

Mr. Burgin was born in Cuthbert, GA, on December 17, 1940, to Robert Fleming Burgin, Sr. and Mildred Miller Burgin. He attended Cuthbert High School and graduated from The McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN, in 1960 and from Auburn University in 1964 as a Distinguished Military Graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. On May 20, 1972, he married Helen Lovein Jackson, who survives him.

Mr. Burgin gave of his time in devotion to his family, friends, church, and community. He delighted in his nine grandchildren. His family and friends will remember him for his logical, thoughtful perspective, which was guided by his strong Christian principles and firm faith. As a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church he served as a Sunday School teacher, member of the Administrative Board and Finance Committee, and Chairman of the Committee on Missions. He was chairman of the Wesley Glen planning sub-committee that led to the founding of Wesley Glen Ministries as an associated agency of the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church.

He served as Chairman of the Board of The Burgin Company in Cuthbert, GA, and Chairman and CEO of Morton Machine Works in Columbus. He remained active in business as Chairman of Jackson Burgin, Inc. In addition, he held membership on the Board of Directors of Columbus Bank and Trust Company and Synovus Trust Company and was a Trustee of Columbus State University and past vice president of the Georgia Forestry Association. He was a member of the Country Club of Columbus and the Big Eddy Club.

An Eagle Scout as a youth, Mr. Burgin was a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) for over 50 years and served as President of the Executive Board of the Chattahoochee Council of the Boy Scouts of America. His service also included Scout Master, Assistant Scout Master, and Troop Committee member. He was instrumental in reactivating Troop 1 at St. Paul. He received BSA’s Silver Beaver, Cross and Flame, and Award of Merit for extensive and outstanding service.

Mr. Burgin served four years in the United States Air Force as a Captain and Instructor Missile Combat Crew Commander for the SAC’s Titan missile systems. In 1976 he joined the Scottish Rite and was a 32nd Degree Mason as a member of Mount Herman Lodge # 304. He also was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution.

He was preceded in death by his parents and by his brother, Robert Fleming Burgin, Jr., of Cuthbert, GA.

Mr. Burgin is survived by his wife, Helen Jackson Burgin; two sons, Dr. William Scott Burgin and his wife Elizabeth Eve Burgin of Tampa, FL, and William Jackson Burgin and his wife Elizabeth Robinson Burgin; and two daughters, Helen Burgin Kilgore and her husband Eric Channing Kilgore, and Merritt Burgin Pryor and her husband West Wilcox Pryor. He also is survived by his grandchildren: Julia Elizabeth Burgin, Simone Marguerite Burgin, Leah Shannon Burgin, William Augustus Burgin, James Burgin Kilgore, Alexander Wilds Burgin, Helena West Pryor, Emmie Jackson Kilgore, and Catherine Wilcox Pryor. Other survivors include a sister-in-law, Norma Adams Burgin; brother-in-law, Harry Stonewall Jackson; and beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2101 Wildwood Ave., Columbus, GA 31906 or to Wesley Glen Ministries, 4580 N. Mumford Rd., Macon, GA 31210, or to John B. Amos Cancer Center, 707 Center St., Suite 100, Columbus, GA 31901.