Wm Burdett

Wm. Michael Burdett

March 14, 1940 ~ September 2, 2020

When thinking of Wm. Michael Burdett one word comes to mind, Christ-like. Mike wore many hats during his 80 years including: student, dentist, Lt. Colonel with U.S. Army Reserves, musician, railroad enthusiast, and cook. But the roles he is best known for are son, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Mike’s family and faith in Jesus Christ were the foundation he built his entire life on and helped him endure as the end of his life grew near.

Mike was born in Ogden, Utah on March 14, 1940 and attended Ogden High School. As a college student at Weber State he was a Student Body Officer along with his future wife, Donna. After completing an Associate Degree he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the British Isles Mission. Following his church service he married Donna Lee Sparks in the Salt Lake City Temple. He graduated from The University of San Francisco as a dentist and went on to complete a medical anesthesia residency at the University of Utah. In addition, he completed a master’s degree in public administration at Brigham Young University. Mike was a lifelong learner and after his formal education he worked to build his own personal library. He also had a “lending library” within his dental practice for his patients to check out books.

Mike operated a successful dental practice in Ogden for over 30 years. He was a skilled clinician and beloved by his patients. He provided discounted dental treatment for those who could not afford to pay full price. He also provided dental anesthesia for patients with disabilities. After he retired he continued to provide dental services for the homeless. Mike was also a proud member of the Army Reserves and enjoyed providing dental services to the military men and women.

Trains and railroads were another passion of Mike’s and he worked toward relaying the rails to Promontory Point.  He also worked tirelessly on restoring an old hospital train car. If you were looking for Mike on a Saturday morning, you could probably find him at Union Station.

Mike also loved to cook and his family could always count on him to make his homemade turkey soup the day after Thanksgiving. He enjoyed growing his own grapes and canning homemade grape jelly each year. Mike was an accomplished musician. He enjoyed playing the accordion, concertina, and tuba. He also sang in many choirs including the K-Star Singers. Mike was an active member of the Kiwanis club and was always full of fun facts and trivia.

Mike peacefully departed this life on September 2, 2020 after faithfully enduring years of Alzheimer’s Disease. He was preceded in death by his mother, Mickey; father, Bill; and sister, Mary Ann. He is survived by Donna, his wife of 58 years; his daughter, Diana (Bryon) Talbot; his sons, Wm. Gregory (Janice), Daniel (Jennifer) and his daughter, Maren (Tyler) Wood; his 12 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren and his sister, Catherine Ford. Mike will be remembered for being a friend to all, serving selflessly, being even tempered, genuinely kindhearted and always engaged in a good cause. He set an amazing example of Christ-like charity.

Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, September 5, 2020 at 2 p.m. at Lindquist’s Ogden Mortuary, 3408 Washington Blvd. Friends may visit with family on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the mortuary. Interment, Lindquist’s Washington Heights Memorial Park, 4500 Washington Blvd.

In lieu of flowers please donate to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.

The family would like to thank the staff at the George E. Wahlen Ogden Veterans Home for their loving devoted care of Mike over the last two years.

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