He was born Feb. 22, 1927 in Peoria County to Earl and Marie (Dembinski) Burdette. He married Phyllis Miller of March 20, 1948 in Washington. She survives along with two sons: Michael (Debbie) Burdette of Washington, Richard (Marsha) Burdette of Peoria, one daughter,Carla (Larry) Lawrence of Naples, FL, five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
He was preceded death by his parents, five sisters and two brothers.
George was a United States Navy Veteran serving in WWII. Following his time in the military he was a teacher, principal, associate superintendent, and coach for District 150 for 50 years retiring in 2002.
He was a member of the Downtown Peoria Rotary club, and was a very active member of the Forrest Hill United Methodist Church. George was a captain of the Peoria High baseball team in 1944. He played on the Sunday morning league and is a member of the Peoria High Hall of Fame. He was instrumental in developing the District 150 Gifted Program. He was on the first board of directors for the Human Relations commissions in Peoria. He was on the State Advisory Board for Special Education, and was past president of the Peoria Principals Association. George was a member of the US China Exchange Program and received from the State Board of Education “The Award for Excellence”.
Visitation will be Sunday, June 9, 2019 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Davison-Fulton Woodland Chapel. Funeral services will be Monday, June 10, 2019 at 11 a.m. at the Forrest Hill United Methodist Church in Peoria. Additional visitation will be from 10 to 10:45 a.m. Monday at the church.
Cremation rites will be accorded following the services.
Burial will be in Parkview Cemetery at a later date with Military Honors.
Memorials may be made to Forrest Hill United Methodist Church or Lutheran Hillside Village.
You may view George’s obituary online at www.davison-fulton.com