Paul Edgar Burkhardt, 67, passed away on August 19, 2015 after battling an aggressive form of bladder cancer for four months. He was born in Boston on January 7th, 1948, the son of Robert Seaverns Burkhardt and Barbara Smith Burkhardt of Newtonville, MA.
Paul was blind since birth and attended the Perkins School for the Blind – graduating in 1967. After a post-graduate year at Perkins, he entered American International College in 1968 – graduating with a degree in sociology in 1972, and was elected to “Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities” during that year. After college he was employed by General Connector in Newton and later moved into the photo-finishing industry in Fitchburg, MA.
Paul was a Mason – following in the footsteps of his father who served as Master of Dalhousie Lodge in Newtonville. He was an accomplished HAM radio operator and his call sign “WA1GXN” was well known throughout the Boston suburbs and on Cape Cod during the decades of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. An ardent sports fan, Paul followed the fortunes of all the Boston teams – especially the Red Sox, and the Celtics.
A marriage in 1990 ended in divorce in 2013. He is survived by his sister, Deborah Burkhardt Schwabe (Ed) of Swans Island, Maine; a niece Kate Schwabe Boka (Geoff) of Monroe, CT; and a nephew, Clay Robert Schwabe of Boston.
A Memorial Service is planned for the Nickerson Funeral Home at 87 Crowell Road, Chatham, MA at 11 AM, Wednesday, August 26th. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Life Choice Hospice of Southern MA, LLC at 123 Waterhouse Road, Suite 5, Bourne, MA 02532.
For online condolences, please visit www.nickersonfunerals.com
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