Charles E. Burd

Charles (Chuck) Burd of Harlingen, TX died on September 26 at the Victoria House in Harlingen after a long battle with cancer.  He was 89 years old at the time of his death.

He was the son of Harry and Dorcas Burd of Waterloo, IA.  His sisters were Beverly and Suzanne.

He married Doreen South from Worland, WY in 1954 and had sons Charles, Brian and Chris.  They divorced in 1990. He married Loretta Cantrell in 2003.

Chuck graduated from West High School in Waterloo, IA in 1947 and graduated from Grinnell College in 1951.  He was an elite wrestler during his school years and loved the sport throughout his life.

Chuck served in Army Intelligence from 1951 through 1954 and was based in Casper, WY. He liked to recount the days he drove around the state in his Ford V8 sedan and fished for trout when he was off work.  In later years, Chuck recalled that many credited him with successfully preventing a communist takeover of the state of Wyoming.

He was Secretary and Treasurer of Peoples Mutual Savings and Loan, Waterloo, IA;  President of American Federal Saving and Loan, Cedar Rapids, IA;  Executive Vice President of American Federal Savings and Loan, Des Moines, IA;  and President of Banc Iowa, Cedar Rapids, IA.  He was Chairman of the Board of Directors of St. Luke’s Hospital and the Iowa Savings and Loan League and board member of the American Automobile Association in Cedar Rapids.

Chuck retired to Jackson, WY in 1991, and later to Palm Valley in Harlingen, TX where he was elected mayor in 1998. For many years he enjoyed golfing, boating, fishing, travel, and family events.

Chuck’s first love was his family – sons Charles, Brian and Chris, Brian’s wife Stacy, sisters Beverly and Suzanne and husband Craig, grandchildren Nick, Melissa, Alex, and Charlie and many nieces and nephews.  He enjoyed the family reunions known as “Burd-Dos” as well as a stout margarita, a smoke and a good joke.  He will be missed.

The family would like to thank the staff at Victoria House and Kindred Hospice for their expert medical care and compassionate support.