Summer 2014 or so, Joe generously took me golfing at Harbor Links. Had a great day hanging out (he was the top partner at my firm and I was just a young associate - so, again, so nice of him to take me out). Best part is that Joe happened to have one of those rare rounds where everything goes right. He drove the green on a par 4 that had the entire tee box high fiving him. [Huge grin on is face.] Then he just needed par (4) on 18 to break 40 on the back. Well, he scrambled to be lying 3 in the fairway, 15 yards short of the green.  And . . . he knocked it in using a hybrid or wood. Again, huge laughs and high fives from all of us.  What a great day together. 

I’ve had the pleasure of playing pickleball with Joe for several years on Long Island. He has always been one of the nicest people, friendly and warm, and a great competitor. I was so sorry to hear today of his passing.  You have my deepest sympathies.

My most sincere condolences to Joe's family, friends, clients and co-workers on his sudden passing. He will be greatly missed by ALL of us.  

I had known Joe for about four years not only as a fellow member of our golf club but  as friend an all-around great guy. There was no bad day when you were with Joe he always had a quick wit.  We shared many rounds together talking about our families, children and grandchildren.  Our deepest condolences to his family.  
Rich and Jane

Joe was always pleasant.  We always exchanged New York sports stories.  I remember giving him a Yankees Flag for good luck and we won the World Series that year.  My funniest memory was I tried to haggle him for Giants tickets..  I got him to lower the price just a little, but would not budge further.  
May you Rest in Peace Joe.

My deepest condolences to the Burden family. I had worked with the firm for close to ten years. Joe was kindhearted.  I worked directly with him at times. I remember when mistakes were made, his impatience was so graceful with me. He would explain how and why things would be done. I never felt embarrassed to ask him questions. I am so sad to see him go. My heart goes out to the family. Joe, may you rest in peace. - Karima

Joe was playing golf with me when I got a hole in 1 , one of the greatest guys and a great golfer and friend. Rip brother !! 

My Deepest and heartfelt condolences to the Burden Family.  Rest Well Joe, you will be missed. 

Charleuan McDonald

Joe and I have been friends since July, 1967 when we met at freshmen orientation at Stony Brook. Several years later we discovered that our mothers had graduated the same year from Julia Richmond H.S. in Manhattan. 
So many memories, so many good times. Love you Joe. 

I had  the privilege of working with Joe for ten years. My fondest memory is defending him in a deposition. The deposition was  being conducted by a pro-se litigant who was claiming protection from eviction under the NYC Loft Law. Joe was an expert on the Loft Law. She began to grill Joe him about some trouble he had recently had  with the Grievance Committee for New York County. I shut her down in an instant,  yelling that she had no right to question Joe about personal matters  extraneous to her case. It was great. I felt like Algonquin J. Calhoun defending the Kingfish. "Don't you dare touch a hair on this man's head!" Rest in peace, my friend. Jay H. Berg , Esq. 

Played golf and shared plenty of meals with Joe.  He was a genuinely nice person to be around and a true class act.  A professional in every sense of the word.  Fairways & Greens Joe.  You will be missed.

My mother never said about any other lawyer but Mr. Burden that you could tell right away that he was a good man. Not to say that other attorneys are not good people but that he was so instantly impressive and frankly, nice looking. We didnt know him well at all.  He was always very professional & cool in the mysterious & potentially disastrous world of landlord tenant litigation.   To us as practical strangers,  it is unfair for his family to lose him so soon.  He was a great lawyer and he was no nonsense, not manipulative,  no small talk.  He was just so good in the way he maneuvered interpersonally.   We are very sorry to hear of his passing.   Joe Burden was a very cool guy.   If you met him, you knew.  

I've been employed at Belkin Burden Goldman since 2002. In all of my 19 years at the firm, I've never met anyone who was so kind and very pleasant as Joe was to me. He was so easy to talk to and we chatted so often about various things. What I admired about him most was that he always treated me with the utmost respect and I will always be grateful for that. He was so full of life. I'm still in shock that he is no longer with us. His spirit & legacy will always live on.  Rest In Peace dear friend and colleague. You will be dearly missed. 

My memory is playing stoopball on 266 street. Me , Joey and the other guys just being happy and  having fun. Rest in peace, Joey.

Joe was an excellent President of our condo and a friend. We worked many hours together on condo board issues.
        However  we bonded on both being grandfathers.

 The last time a saw Joe was about a week or so before his passing.
  He had  his grandson, I believe named Reed with him. As all grandfathers do, he was following  Reed as he ran around the parking lot in our condo, in a comical  and joyous way    and we both had a good laugh watching those little legs zip around.  The next day I saw Joe driving into the parking lot. Where is Reed I said? He pointed to the back seat and there he was asleep. We laughed again.  I think this is a great way for me to remember Joe.

TO THE BURDEN FAMILY,

OUR DEEPEST and HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES TO YOU ALL.
MAY THE MEMORIES BRING COMFORT, JOY and LAUGHTER OVER THE FOLLOWING DAYS, WEEKS, MONTHS and YEARS.
YOU ARE IN OUR THOUGHTS and PRAYERS.

--The Lynch-Scott family
(Roxanne, Steve, Kelsey, Kamryn, Woodrow & Grandma)

Rest in Peace Joe!
You will be dearly missed

Joe entered my life beginning in1967 as we began our freshman year at Stony Brook.  He was integral not only as a suite-mate at "The Brook" but throughout the famous (and sometimes infamous) experiences we shared at JHC3 (a/k/a Joseph Henry College, C wing, 3rd floor, the dorm).  It was during our tenure at school June entered the scene and also became part of our story.  From JHC3 to wherever we then lived we remained friends bound by our common experiences and in time we both became lawyers.  Our sons, Matt and Ryan, were born on the same day in the same year.  We grew our families together, both having daughters, Erica and Abby,  though this time not born on the same day and year (that would have been too much of a coincidence).  And we grew our careers in parallel though separate tracks, Joe a law firm founding partner and myself an in-house  lawyer for a Fortune 500 corporation.  And then we grew old(er) together.  But through it all, my friendship with Joe and June was a constant and my life at "The Brook" with Joe, Scott, Steven, Jerry and Mike helped to define me and blessed me with memories to last a lifetime.  Joe was more, so much more, than a thread in the fabric of my life. And now, like a flag that has flown in a storm, I feel tattered and torn without him.  


Joe was my friend and partner for 40 years.  

Joe was smart, honorable and varied in his interests.  We enjoyed discussing the law, but enjoyed discussing books, movies and theater (which we attended many times together with our wives) even more.  

As our years together went on, and we hired so many attorneys so much younger than us, Joe and I often laughed at the various historical, musical and cultural references that we took for granted and understood, while no one else did.

I will miss Joe very much.



OBITUARY

Joseph Burden

February 26, 1950 – August 24, 2021

Riverside-Nassau North Chapels

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