Longtime Grosse Pointe Woods resident Richard “Dick” Herbert Burt, 87, passed away peacefully Monday, May 17, 2021, at home, surrounded by family, after a short courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
Dick was born Jan. 14, 1934, in Detroit, to Richard and Elinore Losh (nee Wurst). In 1948, his mother remarried Edward Burt, by whom Dick was adopted.
Dick graduated from Trenton High School in 1952. He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1956, from the University of Michigan School of Business, where he was a member of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity. In 1957, Dick enlisted in the U.S. Army; he was stationed 18 months near Frankfurt, Germany. He returned to Ann Arbor in 1959, and earned an MBA the following year.
In 1960, Dick joined Ford Motor Co., where he spent the next 41 years of a fulfilling career in sales, marketing and allocations.
Shortly after Dick moved to Detroit’s east side in the mid-1960s, he met Karen Zita Giessler; the couple married in 1964. Together they started a family and moved from Harper Woods to Grosse Pointe Woods in 1970. That same year, the family joined Christ the King Lutheran Church, at which Dick was a member 50 years, served on the vestry and as trustee, and later, chairman of the trustees.
Dick enjoyed countless summer outings in Caseville and at his parents’ home on Commerce Lake, where he and Karen entertained family and friends with boating trips — first with outboards and later, sailing.
At home, when he was not working on the house, trimming innumerable shrubs or building his brick patio, Dick and his wife relaxed by entertaining friends and playing card games into the wee hours of the morning. His children and the neighborhood kids always looked forward to him building an ice rink in the backyard each winter, which he did more than 20 years.
An avid golfer, he was a 25-year member of the Ford Ren-Cen golf league; recently, he played weekly as a member of the Grosse Pointe Senior Men’s Club. He also enjoyed regularly meeting for breakfast in Livonia with his fellow Ford retiree friends, followed by a round of golf. In the same year Dick made his second hole-in-one, he met a hero of his on the golf course, Bo Schembechler.
Soon after he retired, Dick began traveling the world. He documented his excursions with the help of a digital video camera that he later used to convert into elaborate HD Blu-ray movies and photo albums. He took more than 20 land and sea cruises and tours, spanning five continents and visiting dozens of countries.
In addition to watching golf, Dick enjoyed following the Detroit Red Wings, Tigers, Pistons and his beloved Michigan Wolverines. He was particularly proud of his three granddaughters, each of whom graduated from his alma mater, U of M.
Dick is survived by his children, Thayer Cueter, Richard Burt (Julie), Jenna Carroll (Matthew), Charles Burt and Darren Burt; and grandchildren, Courtney, Katelyn and Ashley Carroll. He was predeceased by his former wife, Karen Burt.
A funeral service will be held Monday, May 24, at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 20338 Mack, Grosse Pointe Woods. Visitation begins at 10 a.m., followed by a service at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Dick Burt may be made to Christ the King Lutheran Church, christthekinggp.org.
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