William Joe Burhop

Born and raised in Fort Wayne, Bill returned to Fort Wayne late in life. He chose to live in a quiet apartment neighborhood on the bank of the river adjacent to the Concordia High School and near the Lutheran Seminary campuses. Bill was an attorney and lobbyist.

A graduate of Concordia High School and Indiana University, Bill attended Concordia Lutheran College in Ann Arbor and earned his Masters’ degree from the University of Chicago. As a grad student Bill trained with followers of Saul Alinsky methods of Activism on the South Side of Chicago; worked intermittently at his parents’ company, Wayne Plastics; and for Ralph Nader as a Nader’s Raider activist.

During the 1960’s, Bill worked for the War on Poverty addressing inequities suffered by Americans across the country. His first project was designed to manage and improve resources to Native Americans on tribal lands, including efforts to create more sources of clean water by digging better wells.

As his work developed, Bill moved to Washington, D.C., to be near government resources and chose to attend law school there. He attended the American University Washington College of Law and worked in several positions during his law school years.

One of Bill’s jobs was in Ohio when astronaut John Glenn decided to run for an Ohio Senate seat following his acclaim as an astronaut. Bill became the Glenn Campaign Manager in Southeastern Ohio.

Following Law School, Bill helped craft airline agreements between companies in the late 1970s and 1980s. He served as the President of Governmental Affairs for the Air Transport Association and, after public life, served as a Vice President of American Airlines during the term of Robert Crandall, who was CEO from 1985 to 1998. He also served as a negotiator and lobbied for a variety of groups including the airlines industry and the developing broadband community.

Following a debilitating fall and subsequent surgeries, Bill settled back in Fort Wayne.

Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Waldemar Burhop and Esther (Ringenberg) Burhop; his older sister, Judith Kensington MD (d. 3/2021); survived by older sister, Cynthia Burhop McKay and her husband, John Franklin McKay of Seattle, Washington; nephews, W. Adam Duerk of Missoula, Montana, and Joshua Matthew Malachi Duerk of Columbia Maryland; grand nephews, Winslow and Jack Duerk of Missoula; nieces, Cynthia Sue Tollefson (Conrad) of Seattle and Sandra Lee Roberts (Fred) of Malibu, California; grand nephews, William and Jonathan Tollefson (Cierra) and grand niece, Christine Tollefson Hyler (Casey) of Seattle, and great grand nephew, Benjamin Hyler of Seattle.

Per Bill's request, no services are scheduled.

Hockemeyer & Miller Funeral Home, Fort Wayne are caring for arrangements. Condolences and memories of Bill may be left online at www.hockemeyermillerfh.com